How you can help

What are the implications of this work and what can your contribution do?

• Inform owners of electronics about what is happening with their electronics once they decide to throw them out

• Inform the public where they can recycle electronics in their area

• Allow people to take into consideration ways that inappropriate disposal of electronics can harm the environment, especially aquatic environments and wildlife

• Encourage more e-waste management and protection of aquatic life and habitats

• Encourage people who work with aquatic life to share this information/website with people they know or the public to keep spreading the importance of eliminating e-waste

Management and Proper Disposal of Electronics

How do different countries manage their e-waste?

• Europe - Has adopted many regulations regarding e-waste to protect the environment, the people, and to make sure natural resources are being used appropriately. Europe's goal has been to raise awareness about electronics as they reach their "end of life," which involves recycling parts, proper e-waste collection by separating it from normal waste, and determine the best ways to recover and recycle e-waste.

• Japan - Has many e-waste laws in place that require manufacturers to take back electronics at their "end of life" to keep e-waste separate from normal waste. They have a law titled the "Home Appliance Recycling Law" where producers must recycle televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines. The buyer must pay a fee, though, to cover the recycling and transportation of these items. They also have a law titled the "Law for Promotion of Effective Resource Utilization" which requires business personal computers and residential computers to be recycled.

• South Korea - Has a law titled the "Extended Producer Responsibility Law" where local manufacturers and importers of electronics like televisions, PCs, and air conditioners must meet recycling targets or they have to pay a fine. They can either send out these electronics to be recycled or they can create their own recycling facilities to achieve these targets. Within the first year this law was enacted, 12% of e-waste that was collected was reused, 69% was recycled, and 19% went to landfills. The consumer does pay a collection fee if the government collects the waste, otherwise it's free if they replace their old electronic with a new one and the retailer collects the old one.

• Taiwan - Has "Waste Disposal Act Amendments" which make sure that the manufacturer enforces a recycling fee, and these funds are collected by the "Recycling Management Fund." Then the e-waste is brought to recycling facilities, and this waste includes washing machines, air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators, and PCs.

Check out the YouTube video below for more about how electronics are recycled:

Map Out E-waste Recycling Locations!

Take the short questionnaire below after checking out this website!