A model for estimation of potential generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Brazil.
Sales of electrical and electronic equipment are increasing dramatically in developing countries. Usually, there are no reliable data about quantities of the waste generated. A new law for solid waste management was enacted in Brazil in 2010, and the infrastructure to treat this waste must be planned, considering the volumes of the different types of electrical and electronic equipment generated. This paper reviews the literature regarding estimation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), focusing on developing countries, particularly in Latin America. It briefly describes the current WEEE system in Brazil and presents an updated estimate of generation of WEEE. Considering the limited available data in Brazil, a model for WEEE generation estimation is proposed in which different methods are used for mature and non-mature market products. The results showed that the most important variable is the equipment lifetime, which requires a thorough understanding of consumer behavior to estimate. Since Brazil is a rapidly expanding market, the "boom" in waste generation is still to come. In the near future, better data will provide more reliable estimation of waste generation and a clearer interpretation of the lifetime variable throughout the years.
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, COPPE, Energy Planning Department, Brazil. marcel_g@uol.com.br
Marcelo Guimarães
MG
Araújo
Alessandra
A
Magrini
Cláudio Fernando
CF
Mahler
Bernd
B
Bilitewski
D001938:Brazil; D003906:Developing Countries; D055615:Electrical Equipment and Supplies / Q000145:classification; D059029:Electronic Waste / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics; D007843:Latin America; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D059027:Recycling / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards