What drives WEEE recycling? A comparative study concerning legislation, collection and recycling

Abstract

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been rising worldwide, and its improper management incurs in economic losses and environmental damage. To provide a better understanding of the forces that drive the management of WEEE, economic and political roles are discussed by comparing the WEEE recycling system of Brazil and Australia. Additional insights about the recycling systems were gathered from interviews with recyclers of both countries (in-loco visits and online/phone surveys). Previous studies show that both countries act as first stage recyclers, dismantling WEEE to ship their valuable components for international recyclers (such as printed circuit boards) while keeping less valuable material (such as polymeric and ferrous pieces). Australia has defined the responsibilities of most agents involved in the WEEE management and recycling setup, while Brazil inadvertently has left the system to be defined through free market regulation. As Brazil recently signed a reverse logistic agreement, there is an important opportunity to channel WEEE into formal routes and implement improvements in the entire recycling system (some suggestions are provided). Australian recyclers were found more organised in their disassembly lines, and some characteristics of the Australian model can be adapted for the Brazilian benefit. In conclusion, economic factors will drive first stage recycling (where labour wages are a small fraction of the total costs) and international downstream recycling, while a political framework is necessary to establish a comprehensive collection system, first stage recycling (where wages are representative) and domestic downstream recycling, given these are generally non-profitable activities in the short term.