OPPapers.com

E-Waste

TERM PAPER

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

ECEN 5553

TITLE: “THE ISSUE OF E-WASTE”

AUTHOR: FERNANDO MAYORGA

DATE: NOVEMBER 6, 2008

[pic]

Table of Contents

Abstract 4

Introduction 5

1 Hazards of E-waste 5

1.1 Hazards to the Health 6

1.2 Hazards to the environment 8

2 Analyses and Statistics on e-waste 9

2.1 Analyses and statistics of the current situation in the U.S. 9

2.2 Estimations and projections of future situation in the U.S 12

3 E-waste management solutions 14

3.1 Recycling and Reuse of waste 14

3.2 Actions and Proposals taken place in the U.S. 15

3.3 Actions and Proposals taken place in other countries 16

4 Environmental legislation and Policies on e-waste 18

4.1 Situation in the U.S. 18

4.2 Situation in other countries 19

5 Conclusions 19

6 References 21

Content of Tables and Figures

Table 1.1 Material composition comparison cell phone vs. PC 6

Table 1.2 Concentrations of Pollutants near Recycling Sites in Guiyu, China 9

Table 2.1 Electronic devices in storage as of 2007 in US 10

Table 2.2 Management of TV's, PC's, cells as e-waste 10

Table 2.3 Devices collected for e-cycling 2003-2005 US 11

Figure 2.4 Number of PC's recyled in US 11

Figure 2.5 Cell phones recycled in the US 12

Figure 2.6 Computer sales forecast and EOL obsolete computers 13

Figure 3.1 Comparison on e-waste collection among countries 17

Figure 4.1 State Legislation regarding e-waste 18

Content of Pictures

Picture 1.1 Chinese workers sorting out e-waste in Guiyu 7

Picture 1.2 Separating elements on circuit board-Guiyu 8

Abstract

The following paper describes the hazards of electronic waste (e-waste) to the environment and to human health. It shows some statistics that gives us an idea of how much waste is really out there and what to expect in the future concerning this issue considering the growth of sales in electronic devices worldwide. This paper...