School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Lanchester Building, University Rd., Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BJ, UK.
Waste Manag. 2011 Apr;31(4):714-30. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2010.10.023. Epub 2010 Dec 13.
This paper presents and critically analyses the current waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management practices in various countries and regions. Global trends in (i) the quantities and composition of WEEE; and (ii) the various strategies and practices adopted by selected countries to handle, regulate and prevent WEEE are comprehensively examined. The findings indicate that for (i), the quantities of WEEE generated are high and/or on the increase. IT and telecommunications equipment seem to be the dominant WEEE being generated, at least in terms of numbers, in Africa, in the poorer regions of Asia and in Latin/South America. However, the paper contends that the reported figures on quantities of WEEE generated may be grossly underestimated. For (ii), with the notable exception of Europe, many countries seem to be lacking or are slow in initiating, drafting and adopting WEEE regulations. Handling of WEEE in developing countries is typified by high rate of repair and reuse within a largely informal recycling sector. In both developed and developing nations, the landfilling of WEEE is still a concern. It has been established that stockpiling of unwanted electrical and electronic products is common in both the USA and less developed economies. The paper also identifies and discusses four common priority areas for WEEE across the globe, namely: (i) resource depletion; (ii) ethical concerns; (iii) health and environmental issues; and (iv) WEEE takeback strategies. Further, the paper discusses the future perspectives on WEEE generation, treatment, prevention and regulation. Four key conclusions are drawn from this review: global amounts of WEEE will continue unabated for some time due to emergence of new technologies and affordable electronics; informal recycling in developing nations has the potential of making a valuable contribution if their operations can be changed with strict safety standards as a priority; the pace of initiating and enacting WEEE specific legislation is very slow across the globe and in some cases non-existent; and globally, there is need for more accurate and current data on amounts and types of WEEE generated.
本文介绍并批判性地分析了不同国家和地区当前的电子废物管理实践。全面审查了全球范围内（i）电子废物的数量和组成；以及（ii）选定国家为处理、监管和预防电子废物而采用的各种策略和实践的趋势。研究结果表明，就（i）而言，产生的电子废物数量很高且/或呈上升趋势。在非洲、亚洲较贫困地区以及拉丁美洲/南美洲，信息技术和电信设备似乎是产生的主要电子废物，至少就数量而言是这样。然而，本文认为，所报告的电子废物产生数量可能被严重低估。就（ii）而言，除了欧洲，许多国家似乎缺乏或缓慢启动、起草和采用电子废物法规。发展中国家的电子废物处理特点是在一个主要是非正规回收部门内进行高比例的修复和再利用。在发达国家和发展中国家，电子废物的填埋仍然是一个令人关注的问题。已经确定，在美国和欠发达国家，囤积不需要的电器和电子产品是很常见的。本文还确定并讨论了全球电子废物的四个共同优先领域，即：（i）资源枯竭；（ii）道德问题；（iii）健康和环境问题；以及（iv）电子废物回收策略。此外，本文还讨论了电子废物产生、处理、预防和监管的未来展望。从本次审查中得出了四个关键结论：由于新技术和负担得起的电子产品的出现，全球电子废物的数量将在一段时间内继续增加；如果发展中国家的非正规回收业务能够优先考虑严格的安全标准进行改变，那么它们有可能做出有价值的贡献；在全球范围内，启动和制定特定电子废物法规的步伐非常缓慢，在某些情况下根本不存在；并且，全球需要更准确和最新的电子废物产生数量和类型的数据。
