E-waste and its sustainable management

This project paper addresses the problem of e-waste in a local and global context. It examines the origins of the issue, processing methods, and related environmental implications. The worst processing methods, have had devastating impacts on both the physical environment and human organizations. The more widely accepted methods of e-waste processing--recycling--are often exclusive of systematic reuse and do not recognize the initial inputs invested in the equipment. To address the lack of regulation around e-waste disposal and the shortcomings of conventional recycling, a management system for the reuse and refurbishment of discarded IT equipment is proposed that is based on the operations at Computation Ltd., a computer recycling company. This system is recognized as an end-of-pipe solution that optimizes various types of waste diversion to include reuse where possible. Future research should focus on green design alternatives and incentives that encourage greater reuse of electronic products.