Towards the definition of WEEE recycling targets in Ecuador. A case of study for mobile phones.

The rise of consumption patterns of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and the generation of waste EEE (WEEE) has been strongly increasing globally. Recycling rates (RRs) are one of the main indicators for monitoring the progress towards a circular economy and establishing recovery and treatment schemes. For this reason, this study discusses the setting of recycling targets for WEEE in Ecuador, using mobile phones as a case study. Firstly, the generation of mobile phone waste from 2012 to 2018 is estimated based on literature review. The most appropriate model for estimating WEEE generation is selected according to the applicable market conditions, input requirements and available data. Then, the composition of a mobile phone is determined through an extensive literature review. Based on these results, the materials' environmental impact and potential economic value are approximated using the ReCiPe Endpoint (H, A) method and the prices of virgin materials, respectively. The estimation shows that in Ecuador an average of 2 million devices are discarded every year, which represents an interesting source of resources but currently does not have appropriate management. Ecuador has implemented regulatory frameworks in favour of the integral management of these wastes. However, mass-based collection targets still appear to be the only available measure. Therefore, national results on electronics recycling do not allow adequate monitoring of progress towards a circular economy and largely neglect environmental aspects and economic potential.

Estimativa da geração de resíduos de equipamentos elétricos e eletrônicos de origem domiciliar: proposição de método e aplicação ao município de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil / Evaluation of Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipments generation from households: proposal of method and application to the City of São Paulo, Brazil

RESUMOConhecer a geração de resíduos de equipamentos elétricos e eletrônicos (REEE) é fundamental para sua gestão. O fluxo domiciliar de EEE é complexo, pois tem seu descarte associado a fatores tecnológicos, econômicos e comportamentais. O artigo apresenta método para estimativas de REEE de origem domiciliar: estoque de equipamentos em uso, armazenados e descartados, e do potencial de geração de resíduos. O método aplicado ao município de São Paulo, São Paulo, resultou em 71,9 milhões de EEE, dos quais 8,8 milhões (12,2%) fora de uso. O valor médio de EEE correspondeu a 18,2 EEE por domicílio; média per capita de 5,3 EEE por habitante. A média de descarte per capita estimada resultou em 4,8 kg.hab-¹.ano-¹. O potencial de geração de resíduos a partir dos EEE fora de uso variou entre 2,9 a 6,0 kg.hab-¹.ano-¹. O método proposto proporcionou qualidade às estimativas, resultando em importantes indicadores para a gestão.

ABSTRACTEvaluation of the generation of Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is fundamental to waste management. Discard of household flow is complex because is associated to technologic, economic and behavioral factors. This paper presents a method to estimate household-originated WEEE: stock of equipment in use, stored and discarded, as well as potential generation of waste. The proposed method applied to the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, resulted in the total amount of 71.9 million EEE, 8.8 million of which (12.2%) are out of service. Average values were estimated: 18.2 EEE per household and 5.3 EEE per inhabitant. Average discharge per capitaresulted in 4.8 kg.inhabitant-1.year-1. Potential of generated waste based on out-of-service EEE varies from 2.9 to 6.0 kg.inhabitant-1.year-1 depending on the adopted scenario. The method added quality to the estimates of important indicators for WEEE management.