As the desire for new tech piles up, so does the electrical and electronic waste. The amount of e-waste is expected to increase to 52.2 million metric tons a year by 2021, up from 44.7 million metric tons annually in 2016, according to the 2017 Global E-Waste Monitor. In response, more governments are requiring and implementing legislation to ensure proper disposal, including in Thailand, across Europe and in India. Meanwhile China, which has long been the world's largest importer of e-waste, banned the import of 24 types of electronic waste earlier this year.
Source: 2017 Global E-Waste Monitor
The growing need for e-waste disposal, along with new legislation, has triggered a spate of projects to build e-waste recycling plants. In March, the Alba Group opened a HK$421 million facility in Hong Kong that is expected to process up to 30,000 metric tons of e-waste annually and eliminate the city's need to export its electronic garbage. Last year, the Rwandan government completed a three-year, RWF1.1 billion project to build an e-waste recycling facility in Bugesera, Rwanda. And in Australia, Port Pirie became home to the nation's largest e-waste recycling plant after metals company Nyrstar completed an AU$563 million expansion last year.
These projects can have a real impact, too. In Japan, e-waste peaked in 2010. Since then, recycling projects have helped cut the amount of e-waste nearly in half.
But organizations launching projects to design and build facilities are subject to strict security protocols to ensure they can handle and release hazardous materials. Teams also have to contend with public safety concerns. The Port Pirie plant, for instance, had to invest in new technology after reports surfaced that the pre-expansion plant had increased lead levels in the blood of nearby residents. The expansion included tecÚology to reduce emissions of harmful gases, metal and dust. Overall, project teams are turning to new tecÚology to help them meet rigid requirements.
Fighting Tech With Tech
Project plans to build new or expanded recycling facilities must meet strict local regulations. And as countries continue to crack down on e-waste, organizations will have to meet increased requirements. Projects are implementing new tecÚology to pave the way.
Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS), for instance, launched a project to update processing lines at its e-waste recycling facility in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The added tecÚology uses metal sensors, color recognition and photo tecÚology to separate plastic, circuit boards and metals during processing.
KLAUS OHLENSCHLAEGER / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
“This new building makes it easier to fulfill local environmental regulations, as we are now able to decrease the noise and dust considerably from the storage and processing of e-waste,” Jan Visser, managing director of SRS, Eindhoven, said in a press release.
The Alba Group has built—and navigated regulatory issues—for several e-waste recycling plants. For its Hong Kong facility, the organization looked to go beyond what was required by the government, according to Nigel Mattravers, director and general manager of Alba Integrated Waste Solutions, a joint venture founded for the project, Hong Kong. “We look to exceed the very strict requirements for protecting the local environment and the health of workers,” says Mr. Mattravers.
—Nigel Mattravers, Alba Integrated Waste Solutions, Hong Kong
They also leaned on new tech: The plant installed robotic arms in the Hong Kong facility to avoid risks to workers. The robotic arms dismantle LCD TVs, which contain fluorescent tubes with mercury. —Ambreen Ali