154
(Jaiswal et al. 2015). Available information indicates that there are some advantages
when manufacturers of electrical/electronic appliances recycle the waste electronic
products. Firstly, manufacturers can easily ascertain the flow of electronic products
in the market according to the recycling amount of certain kind of products and
quickly grasp the market demand information. Secondly, manufacturers are familiar
with the product design process, which gives them an easy workaround when disassembling the waste electronic products and hence saves time and effort and further
improves the economic benefit of the recycling process (Miao et al. 2017).
Another obstacle in the proper recovery of precious metals from E-wastes is the
fact that E-wastes are frequently illegally moved from developed countries to developing nations lacking infrastructures to recycle such E-wastes and as such recover
the target metals. Using low-technological methods to recover metals leads to the
loss of valuable metal, thus making the recycling process a futile one (Sthiannopkao
and Wong 2013).
In order to enhance the recovery of valuable materials from E-waste, the electronic product has to be disassembled. This is commonly done using crude methods
especially in developing worlds. Some developed countries have developed hightech means of recovering materials from E-wastes (Tsydenova and Bengtsson
2011). However, to improve the ease of disassembling E-wastes, electronic products
can be designed so as to allow for ease of disassembly. This can go a long way in
making the recovery of a variety of valuable metals from E-wastes less labourintensive and more cost-effective. Additionally, this will make the process more
sustainable by eliminating the need to use chemicals to recover metals which themselves end up as hazardous materials in the environment (Tansel 2017).
Apart from enlightening the public on the need to embrace recycling of E-waste
as a green approach to its management, incentives could also be provided in order
to further attract the interest of these consumers in bringing recyclable waste electronics forward. Since it has been identified that collection of these waste electronics poses a major challenge in E-waste recycling, getting the consumers to submit
used electronics products to either recycling firms or to the manufacturer of such
product under a pay scheme will be a boost to overcome this challenge. A transparent and organized platform where consumers bring forward E-wastes for recycling
will improve the public awareness on E-wastes and thus help eliminate the rising
availability of E-waste in the open environment.
The different methods that have been used to collect E-wastes hitherto include
E-waste collection from households or commercial firms through governmental or
non-governmental organizations, a collection of electronic scraps from solid waste
garbage collectors and collection by the producers of electronic products from endusers (Jaiswal et al. 2015).
In the near future, recycling technology of E-waste would be very vital and
attractive sector from the environmental and economic point of view. Recycling
converts various E-waste streams to a sustainable and valuable secondary source of
metals. In order to be an environmentally sustainable venture, recycling technology
should manage E-waste with high efficiency and under reduced carbon footprint
(Kaya 2016).
C. O. Onwosi et al.
(Jaiswal et al. 2015). Available information indicates that there are some advantages
when manufacturers of electrical/electronic appliances recycle the waste electronic
products. Firstly, manufacturers can easily ascertain the flow of electronic products
in the market according to the recycling amount of certain kind of products and
quickly grasp the market demand information. Secondly, manufacturers are familiar
with the product design process, which gives them an easy workaround when disassembling the waste electronic products and hence saves time and effort and further
improves the economic benefit of the recycling process (Miao et al. 2017).
Another obstacle in the proper recovery of precious metals from E-wastes is the
fact that E-wastes are frequently illegally moved from developed countries to developing nations lacking infrastructures to recycle such E-wastes and as such recover
the target metals. Using low-technological methods to recover metals leads to the
loss of valuable metal, thus making the recycling process a futile one (Sthiannopkao
and Wong 2013).
In order to enhance the recovery of valuable materials from E-waste, the electronic product has to be disassembled. This is commonly done using crude methods
especially in developing worlds. Some developed countries have developed hightech means of recovering materials from E-wastes (Tsydenova and Bengtsson
2011). However, to improve the ease of disassembling E-wastes, electronic products
can be designed so as to allow for ease of disassembly. This can go a long way in
making the recovery of a variety of valuable metals from E-wastes less labourintensive and more cost-effective. Additionally, this will make the process more
sustainable by eliminating the need to use chemicals to recover metals which themselves end up as hazardous materials in the environment (Tansel 2017).
Apart from enlightening the public on the need to embrace recycling of E-waste
as a green approach to its management, incentives could also be provided in order
to further attract the interest of these consumers in bringing recyclable waste electronics forward. Since it has been identified that collection of these waste electronics poses a major challenge in E-waste recycling, getting the consumers to submit
used electronics products to either recycling firms or to the manufacturer of such
product under a pay scheme will be a boost to overcome this challenge. A transparent and organized platform where consumers bring forward E-wastes for recycling
will improve the public awareness on E-wastes and thus help eliminate the rising
availability of E-waste in the open environment.
The different methods that have been used to collect E-wastes hitherto include
E-waste collection from households or commercial firms through governmental or
non-governmental organizations, a collection of electronic scraps from solid waste
garbage collectors and collection by the producers of electronic products from endusers (Jaiswal et al. 2015).
In the near future, recycling technology of E-waste would be very vital and
attractive sector from the environmental and economic point of view. Recycling
converts various E-waste streams to a sustainable and valuable secondary source of
metals. In order to be an environmentally sustainable venture, recycling technology
should manage E-waste with high efficiency and under reduced carbon footprint
(Kaya 2016).
C. O. Onwosi et al.