Life Cycle of E-Waste
Electronic waste is an unprecedented problem expected to rise 33% by 2030. With the growing use and availability of technology, more e-waste is being produced but no knowledge is being spread on what to do with it. Most people purchasing their new phones, e-cigarettes, video game consoles, toasters, microwaves, etc., have no instruction on what to do with these electronics when they break, so they dispose of it in regular landfill. From cradle to grave, e-waste creates serious environmental and health problems.
Mining is the first step of the life cycle of e-waste, depending on raw and rare materials such as gold, barium, silver, tin, nickel, cobalt, and lithium. These rare materials are known as “conflict materials” due to the negative impacts mining has caused on communities. Mining done in areas like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, China, the Philippines and Indonesia have been linked to wars, human rights violations, and environmental rights violations. These violations include but are not limited to child labor, armed conflict, pollution, and deforestation. Other materials and heavy metals used include lead, mercury, palladium, and copper to make electronics. Copper plays a crucial role in wiring, but its mining operations require significant water, putting pressure on local water supplies. Mining contributes up to 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, contributes to deforestation, contaminates nearby water bodies with toxic chemicals, and uses a lot of water. Other hazardous chemicals such as dioxins, furans, and polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs), as well as rare minerals like silicon and bismuth are used to make electronics.
Foxconn, Samsung Electronics, Jabil, and Pegatron are some of the largest manufacturers of electronics. Foxconn is the largest electronic manufacturer in the world that produces a variety of electronics such as phones, tablets, and computing devices for Apple, Microsoft, Sony and more. These manufacturers use an abundance of resources to create these devices, for example one iPhone takes about 3,400 gallons of water to manufacture because the chip within the iPhone needs to be washed at least 30 times. Foxconn has also been exposed previously for poor worker conditions, as multiples of their employees in China have committed suicide due to being overworked and facing verbal abuse. While Foxconn has begun to tackle these issues, many electronic manufacturers still face similar problems.
Now that damage has already been done to the environment by the manufacturers and mining companies, you, the consumer, get to use your electronics without any education on how to repair or dispose of your electronics once they are damaged. The table below shows the typical lifespan of common household electronics; devices that everyone uses, such as mobile phones, do not have lengthy lifespans.
| Electronics | Lifespan |
| Mobile Phone | 2 yrs |
| PCs | 3 yrs |
| Televisions | 5 yrs |
| Electronic Games | 5 yrs |
| Toaster | 5 yrs |
| Refrigerator | 10 yrs |
Table 1: Lifespan of Common Household Electronics
For most people, once we reach the end of the lifespan of a certain device, we typically consider it useless and dispose of it in the landfill, but these electronics contain rare materials with the potential to be repurposed. Not only are most of the materials hazardous for the environment when not properly disposed of, but it is a permanent loss of carefully extracted rare materials. Chemically and physically, e-waste is different from municipal solid waste. It contains dangerous and valuable materials that require special handling and recycling to avoid environmental and human health impacts. Improper disposal of e-waste can release the heavy metals and hazardous chemicals mentioned earlier, which can seriously degrade the atmosphere, soil, and water quality,
Anyone is capable of fixing their own electronics, but in the past companies like Apple restrict the knowledge and materials to repair your electronics so that we continue to purchase more or pay for repairs. iFixit was a company created by two Cal Poly students, Luke and Kyle, who wanted to repair their broken devices but had no instructions or parts to do so. They began purchasing parts and writing their own repair manuals, and then they sold the parts and provided the instructions to their customers who were also frustrated with continuously buying new electronics. They proved that anyone is able to repair their own electronics and lengthen their lifespan, but electronics companies do not provide the customer with the very simple tools and knowledge necessary to do so just so they make more profit.
Thankfully California’s Right-to-Repair law went into effect in July 2024. This law requires that manufacturers for electronics and appliances supply the necessary parts, tools, and documentation for repair shops and product owners. This allows consumers to fix their own devices or take it to a third party that will repair the device rather than being forced to go through the device manufacturer. Some benefits from this law are that consumers save money, it reduces harmful e-waste, it reduces the need for mining rare earth minerals and other toxic manufacturing processes, and it also supports the economy by keeping resources within the local economy. California is the third state to enact this law and manufacturers are responding well. Companies like Apple, Samsung, Google, Microsoft, and more have redesigned their programs and repair manuals according to the law.
In 2022, only 22.3% of e-waste was documented as properly disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. A majority of the e-waste is from small electronics like toys, microwave ovens, e-cigarettes or vacuum cleaners. To avoid contributing to improperly disposed e-waste, you can:
- Repair it yourself with tools from iFixit or other DIY repair services.
- Pay a third party to repair your device.
- Sell your broken device so others can use it for its parts.
- Turn in your e-waste at Best Buy, Goodwill, Staples, or use Earth911.com or e-stawrds.org to find your nearest e-waste recyclers.
- Separate the batteries from the electronics, and recycle the batteries using Call2Recycle.com.
- Throw batteries and other e-waste, such as light bulbs, into USFCA’s e-waste bins that can be found throughout campus.
With more and more electronics being produced every year, it is important for people to understand what to do with this newer form of waste, and the impacts it could have. It is up to the manufacturers to create products that are durable, easily repairable, and easily recyclable, but right now it is up to you, the consumer, to figure out how to responsibly dispose of these products.
References
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/estimated-life-cycle-e-waste-enviroserve
https://manufacturingdigital.com/top10/top-10-electronics-companies
https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat9/sub61/item2282.html#chapter-5
https://www.epa.gov/smm-electronics/basic-information-about-electronics-stewardship#:~:text=Sourcing%20Materials,conserve%20energy%2C%20and%20reduce%20pollution.
https://www.sciencing.com/raw-used-manufacture-electronic-components-8053265/
https://electronicswatch.org/electronics-watch-policy-brief-3-the-climate-crisis-and-the-electronics-industry-labour-rights-environmental-sustainability-and-the-role-of-public-procurement_2574400.pdf
https://syllucid.com/blogs/news/how-does-metal-mining-for-electronics-impact-the-climate-crisis
https://www.z2data.com/insights/sources-of-conflict-minerals-in-the-electronic-industry
https://www.ifixit.com/Info/background
https://unitar.org/about/news-stories/press/global-e-waste-monitor-2024-electronic-waste-rising-five-times-faster-documented-e-waste-recycling
https://www.stopwaste.org/resource/california%E2%80%99s-new-right-to-repair-law-january-2024#:~:text=In%20July%202024%2C%20California’s%20Right,repair%20shops%20and%20product%20owners. .
