title: "Control-alt-delete": rebooting solutions for the E-waste problem.
abstract: A number of efforts have been launched to solve the global electronic waste (e-waste) problem. The efficiency of e-waste recycling is subject to variable national legislation, technical capacity, consumer participation, and even detoxification. E-waste management activities result in procedural irregularities and risk disparities across national boundaries. We review these variables to reveal opportunities for research and policy to reduce the risks from accumulating e-waste and ineffective recycling. Full regulation and consumer participation should be controlled and reinforced to improve local e-waste system. Aiming at standardizing best practice, we alter and identify modular recycling process and infrastructure in eco-industrial parks that will be expectantly effective in countries and regions to handle the similar e-waste stream. Toxicity can be deleted through material substitution and detoxification during the life cycle of electronics. Based on the idea of "Control-Alt-Delete", four patterns of the way forward for global e-waste recycling are proposed to meet a variety of local situations.
authors.affiliation: †State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Jinhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: †State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Xianlai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: ‡Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle, Ministry of Education, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China.
authors.forename: Mengjun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: §Program in Public Health and School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States.
authors.forename: Oladele A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Ogunseitan
authors.affiliation: ∥Design for Sustainability Lab, Delft University of Technology, 3-5655 JL Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ab
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stevels
mesh_terms: D054750:Ecotoxicology; D059029:Electronic Waste; D004581:Electronics; D059027:Recycling; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D018505:Waste Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*