Embedded Files
Technology metals in UK electrical and electronic equipment (EEE)
Technology metals in UK electrical and electronic equipment (EEE)
One of the most significant factors identified in the literature for low critical metal (CM) recycling rates is a lack of knowledge about waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) composition (e.g. Salim et al., 2019) and CM flows (e.g. van Nielen, 2022). Developing an effective recycling system is extremely challenging in the absence of a database that can provide continuous and granular data on the CMs contained in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) products purchased, owned, and disposed of by households over time. Quantifying CM flows is therefore crucial to understanding both domestic demand for CMs and the potential of domestic CM supply from secondary sources, and to developing strategies towards a circular economy of CM. Hu and Yan (2023) developed a case study to quantify the annual direct critical metal footprint (CMF) of UK households during 2011 and 2020, defined as the amounts of CMs contained in the EEE products purchased, owned, and disposed of by UK households. This CMF can be used as an approximate measure of the amounts of CMs that are potentially available from household EEE in the UK if they are managed and recycled properly. The key novelty of our methodological approach is the estimation of the purchase of different EEE products by households in the UK over time, based on existing and publicly available data. This makes it more generalisable and easier to apply than the ones used in previous similar studies and more informative as it provides a comprehensive coverage and high level of granularity for a wide range of EEE products and metals. Our findings showed UK households’ strong dependence on CMs and the economic value and environmental impact of their CMF. The estimates provided in this study can inform policy makers, businesses and consumers on the current state of CMF, supporting the development of product- and/or CM- specific interventions that aim to make CMs more circular and sustainable, such as the current introduction of a nation-wide digital waste tracking system in the UK (DEFRA, 2022).
Annual amount of UK household electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) purchase, in-use stock and waste by four major EEE groups measured in number of pieces and mass (Hu and Yan, 2023).
Environmental impact of critical metals (CMs) contained in purchased EEE by (a) metal and (b) EEE application. The global warming impact is measured in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) for the years 2011 to 2020 (Hu and Yan, 2023).
Economic value of individual CMs contained in UK household in-use stock by different EEE aplication groups. Economic value is measured in £ million for the years 2011 to 2020 using the annual average price of each CM. The CMs contained in 2020 WEEE is additionally estimated by the price in the first quarter of 2022. Bar charts present the share of each EEE application group in each year. Note that Ce-La-Gd-Sm is the sum of cerium, lanthanum, gadolinium, and samarium. Note the different scales of the y-axes (Hu and Yan, 2023).
Economic value of lithium contained in UK household purchase, in-use stock, and WEEE by year and different EEE groups. Economic values are measured in £ million for the years 2011 to 2020 using the annual average price of each CM. The CMs contained in 2020 purchase, in-use stock, and WEEE are additionally estimated by the price in the first quarter of 2022 (lines). Bar charts present the share of each EEE group in each year (Hu and Yan, 2023).
Further reading
Further reading
DEFRA. (2022). Consultation on the introduction of mandatory digital waste tracking. DEFRA is managing the consultation process on behalf of the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environmental-quality/waste-tracking/supporting_documents/Consultation%20document%20%20Introduction%20of%20mandatory%20digital%20waste%20tracking.pdf (accessed 09 March 2023)
Hu, X. and Yan, X. (2023). Direct Critical Metal Footprint of the UK Households. Available at SSRN: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4330149
Salim, H. K., Stewart, R. A., Sahin, O., and Dudley, M. (2019). Drivers, barriers and enablers to end-of-life management of solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems: A systematic literature review. Journal of cleaner production, 211, 537-554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.229
van Nielen, S. S., Kleijn, R., Sprecher, B., Xicotencatl, B. M., and Tukker, A. (2022). Early-stage assessment of minor metal recyclability. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 176, 105881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105881
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse