Electronic waste management in the U.S.: practice and policy
Date
2016
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Electronic devices are proliferating rapidly around the world. Although they have provided many great benefits for humanity, these products have also been cause for severe social and environmental harm, namely when they reach end-of-life. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is the fastest growing waste stream worldwide and the U.S. has one of the highest generation rates (StEP, 2015; US EPA, 2012). Recent studies estimate that in 2013, roughly 40% of the 3.14 million tons of e-waste generated in the U.S. was collected for recycling while the remainder was disposed of in landfills and incinerators (US EPA, 2015). However, industry experts approximate that between 50 and 80% of the e-waste supposedly collected for recycling is actually exported to developing nations where it is often informally recycled using primitive processes that wreak havoc on workers, local communities and the environment (ETC, 2016). Consequently, current e-waste management practices in the U.S. are resulting in the loss of recoverable resources as well as significant social and environmental degradation. A well-designed legislative framework is needed to address externalities of the electronics industry. While 25 U.S. states currently have laws promoting the sustainable end-of-life treatment of e-waste, they each differ substantially resulting in a patchwork of disparate regulations which is ultimately impeding effective e-waste recycling. A more unified legislative approach is necessary to provide comprehensive and coherent e-waste management. This dissertation lays the foundation for such legislation, outlining a framework based on an in-depth investigation into the policy and practice of e-waste recycling in the U.S. This investigation includes three general assessments: an evaluation of the necessity of legislation in the management of e-waste; a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the effect of different legislative components on e-waste collection rates; and an examination of current recycling practices of e-waste collected in legislated states inclusive of infrastructure capacity and the geographic distribution of recycled materials. The results of these assessments inform the design of a proposed unified legislative framework. It is expected that the widespread adoption of the components outlined in the proposed framework will positively influence e-waste management in the U.S.