title: Estimation of the Unregistered Inflow of Electrical and Electronic Equipment to a Domestic Market: A Case Study on Televisions in Vietnam.
abstract: Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) constitutes one of the most problematic waste streams worldwide, and accurately estimating the scale of WEEE can assist in tackling its associated issues. However, obtaining an accurate estimation of WEEE remains a challenge because a share of the waste is difficult to calculate. This share stems from the administratively unregistered (so-called "invisible") inflow of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) into the domestic market. As a first attempt to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate this invisible inflow, this study discusses the nature of this flow in detail and proposes a calculation pathway for quantifying its magnitude. The size of the invisible inflow to a domestic market (assumed equal to invisible sales) is calculated by subtracting the registered, also called "visible", sales from the total sales. The total sales are modeled, whereas the visible sales are derived from statistical data. The method is illustrated by a case study on televisions (TVs) in Vietnam. The results show that from 2002 to 2013, the invisible TV inflow contributed, on average, 15% to the total TV sales (coefficient of variation: 0.21). This average share would increase by approximately 1.0% when the maximum number of TVs used per household increased by 1.0%. However, it would decrease by 1.7% when the visible sales increased by 1.0%. Additionally, the average share of the invisible TV inflow would change from 15% to 27% when an unadjusted constant instead of an adjusted time-varying lifespan is employed. This first estimation of the invisible EEE inflow to the domestic market can be improved with additional knowledge and data in the future.
authors.affiliation: Research Group Environmental Organic Chemistry and Technology (ENVOC), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University , Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.|School of Environmental Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Technology , 1 Dai Co Viet Road, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Ha Phuong
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Design for Sustainability Lab, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology , Landbergstraat 15, 2628CE Delft, The Netherlands.|Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University , Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Research Group Environmental Organic Chemistry and Technology (ENVOC), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University , Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dewulf
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Technology , 1 Dai Co Viet Road, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Trung-Hai
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Huynh
authors.affiliation: Research Group Environmental Organic Chemistry and Technology (ENVOC), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University , Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schaubroeck
mesh_terms: D059029:Electronic Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D004581:Electronics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013690:Television; D035501:Uncertainty; D014744:Vietnam