E-Waste

Basics

• Waste resulting from electronics, typically Multi Layer PCBs , and electrical componets themselves, but also including:
  • Batteries
  • Etchants
  • PCBs
  • Metal Recyclables and Plastic Recyclables from wires etc in the production process, and device dissasembly
  • Display componets such as LEDs and LCDs
  • Vacuum Tube Displays (Which are mainly glass, but also contain lead)
  • Florescent Lights (especially CFLs ) contain Mercury
  • Intrestingly, if collected on a commercial/industrial scale, and used as RDF with post use recovery of valuables, things such as disposable wipes and towels used for electronics can contain a non-negligable amount of copper/gold, and this usage can help power E-Waste Recycling plants, especially in areas with large amounts of enarby electronics factories
• It is a common, and rapidly growing volume of Hazardous Waste
• The health concerns are mainly Heavy Metals various other toxic metals, and more conventional toxic chemicals such as some used for Fire Retardand Coatings and other adjacent uses found inside electronics other than electrical componets themself