Transitions toward sustainable E-waste management plans

Abstract

The last few decades have witnessed the advancement in electrical and electronic appliances and their applications have revolutionized human’s daily life. However, at the same time excessive electronics wastes (E-waste) and hazardous materials associated with this E-waste have caused serious concerns to the environment and all living organisms. Sustainable E-waste management to control and mitigate the E-waste generation and its conversion into value-added products are of utmost importance to protect the environment and healthy lifestyle. This chapter discusses the overview of E-waste generation and its impact on the environment and humans. The chapter also covers the worldwide technological aspects being used to achieve an effective E-waste management system. Various E-waste management models and government policy for successful implementation of these models in most of the developed and developing countries are also discussed. The studies revealed that Switzerland is the first country that successfully implemented the sustainable E-waste management system with recycling of approximate 11kg/capita of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment against a targeted value of 4kg/capita set by European unions. In the end, the challenges and future perspectives to achieve sustainable E-waste management are also discussed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.