Quantification of E-waste collection count at household level

Abstract

Electronic waste (e-waste) refers to discarded electrical and electronic equipment that is unwanted as has reached an end of service life, no longer wanted, or obsolete. Existing literature shows a notable knowledge gap in e-waste assessment at household level. This study examines e-waste management of four e-waste categories (computers, televisions, cellphones, and audio-visual equipment) across three Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The number of devices at household level were first estimated from national data. The results showed that unlike other e-wastes, cellphones experienced an overall increasing trend, from 18 to 23 units per thousand people over the study period. In terms of household participation, British Columbia generally had a higher household-participation rate, possibly due to the earliest adaptation of Extended Producer Responsibility management framework in 2007. The findings of provincial comparison recommend a target program to promote recycling of obsolete cellphones in Saskatchewan. The likelihood of households properly recycling their unwanted electronic devices showed positive correlations with the economic indicators. For instance, average income is associated with households’ likelihood of recycling computers (+0.80, p < 0.001), televisions (+0.80, p < 0.001), and audio-visual equipment (+0.73, p < 0.001). The use of household data will pave the way for decision makers to design residential e-waste collection programs.