Investigating the reasons for storage of WEEE by residents - A potential for removal from households

An empirical investigation to understand mobile phone users' behavioural intention to give their end-of-life mobile phones for formal recycling

Mobile phones have turned into a highly essential device for numerous individuals. Swift innovation and decrease in in-use lifespan have increased the generation of end-of-life mobile phones (EOL-MPs). Lesser formal recycling of EOL-MPs has detrimental outcomes on the environment, human health, and circular economy. Therefore, this research was undertaken to investigate factors impacting mobile phone users' behavioural intention to give their EOL-MPs for formal recycling. The conceptual model was developed by integrating the theory of planned behaviour, norm activation model, and value-belief-norm theory. Responses were collected from mobile phone users aged 18 and above residing in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and Huballi-Dharvad cities of Karnataka state, India. 1135 responses were analysed by applying partial least squares structural equation modelling. Incentives was figured out to be the most positively impacting construct on behavioural intention. Followed by awareness of consequences, social media, past recycling experience, and recycling attitude. Whereas risk perception regarding information security and convenience of recycling negatively impacts behavioural intention. Personal norms get activated by awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility. As a result, personal norms positively impact behavioural intention. In addition, biospheric values also positively impact personal norms. The outcomes of PLSpredict signify that the conceptual model has high out-of-sample predictive power. The outcomes of this research can be utilized by various stakeholders like e-waste collection organisations, e-waste recycling organisations, mobile phone manufacturing companies, city corporations, educational institutions, etc for improving sustainable end-of-life management of EOL-MPs.

Challenges to implement and operationalize the WEEE reverse logistics system at the micro level

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) possesses unique characteristics such as its growing production and the potential for resource extraction due to its composition. The implementation and operationalization of a reverse logistics system (RLS) for WEEE is a challenge, particularly concerning the micro level. The implementation of such systems often prioritizes urban centers and their higher population densities, generally overlooking the micro level. The latter refers to ward- or village-level divisions, which can be regarded as the smallest administrative divisions of both urban and rural areas. Furthermore, it encompasses any area facing logistical challenges regarding RLS operationalization due to factors such as geographical isolation, budgetary constraints, imbalances, social isolation, environmental aspects, and even geopolitical conflicts. This study is aimed at addressing this literature gap by discussing the challenges to implement and operationalize a WEEE RLS at the micro level. A systematic literature review was employed as our methodology. We found 13 challenges for developed and developing countries without distinction between macro and micro levels. An additional approach highlighted the significance of monitoring and controlling WEEE RLS. The challenge The population and LRS entities' lack or insufficient training and awareness received the most citations in the conducted search. These challenges were organized by operational phase and discussed from the perspective of the micro level to comprehend multifactorial local challenges involving all stakeholders in the reverse logistics of WEEE in emerging nations. This can assist local administrators and constitutes the primary contribution of this study.

Waste of electrical and electronic equipment management from the perspective of a circular economy: A Review

In addition to the difficulties involved in the management of conventional solid waste, the management of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is significantly more complex due to its unusual chemical composition and fast generation. Both developed and developing countries have been looking for solutions to deal with the problems caused by the growing flow of WEEE, especially regarding sustainable solutions based on reducing resource exploitation by the recovery of materials from this type of waste. In this context, this work presents a quali-quantitative and comprehensive literature review of the publications on the management of WEEE, from the perspective of a circular economy. The results showed that the first publications on the topic appear in 2006, with a significant increase from 2015, the year when the Circular Economy Action Plan was instituted in the European Community. The most prominent authors have been giving emphasis to researches on recycling, reuse and technologies for the recovery of materials/energy from WEEE. Nevertheless, few studies have been found focusing on the prevention/reduction in WEEE generation, priority actions of the WEEE management hierarchy. The works analysed show that the current management of WEEE, despite considering the circularity of materials, prioritizes the development of technological solutions of the end-of-pipe type, greatly represented by the recovery of materials, instead of preventing the generation, which may be detrimental to long-term sustainability. The work ends with the presentation of a SWOT-TOWS (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis conducted to define the main strategies for the improvement of WEEE management from a circular economy perspective.

Differences and determinants for polluted area, urban and rural residents' willingness to hand over and pay for waste mobile phone recycling: Evidence from China

Currently, China has the largest generation volume of waste mobile phones (WMPs), but the recycling rate is still negligible. How to improve the willingness to hand (WTH) over to formal recycling channels and willingness to pay (WTP) have become the most core problems in the e-waste recycling industry. As the important link between WMPs generation and collection, the residents' role and function are attracting more and more attention. Thus, this study is designed to identify the determinants of the residents' WTH and WTP for WMPs through the contingent valuation method (CVM). At the same time, it will explore the current existing gaps from the urban and rural residents. Especially, this study also considers Guiyu Town as one special rural region for understanding the differences with other regions. The results show that the respondents generally have the relatively lower knowledge and cognition on WMPs recycling. Only 9.4% respondents are satisfied with the current government's management of WMPs. Personal information leakage is an important reason for low WTH. The WTH of Guiyu, urban and rural respondents were 51.3%, 45.9% and 41.2%, respectively; while their WTP were 46.80%, 31.70% and 37.80%, respectively. Finally, it is estimated that their WTP values were 18.75 ($2.81), 16.14 ($2.42) and 15.85 ($2.38) RMB per unit, respectively. The demographic variables, cognition and attitude are important factors on all residents' WTH and WTP. Meanwhile, it is indicated that if owning higher WTH, the residents will trend to higher WTP. Especially, the WTH and WTP of Guiyu residents are higher than other residents.

Disposal of obsolete mobile phones: A review on replacement, disposal methods, in-use lifespan, reuse and recycling

Usage/consumption of mobile phones has increased rapidly around the world. As of April 2021, there were 5.27 billion mobile phone users. Meanwhile, the generation of obsolete mobile phones/mobile phone wastes is also increased mainly due to the replacement of mobile phones. The in-use lifespan of mobile phones is correspondingly getting decreased. The inappropriate disposal of obsolete mobile phones leads to adverse consequences on the environment, human health and on metal recovery. This review article provides an insight on findings from various articles on disposal of obsolete mobile phones by users/consumers. The various aspects, such as reasons for replacement, disposal methods adopted by users/consumers, impact due to the adoption of improper disposal methods such as handing them over to the informal recycling sector and storage/hibernation after its in-use lifespan, were covered. Along with this, the study even focuses on reduce, reuse and recycle (3Rs) of sustainability. Reduce means reduction of mobile phone replacement frequency. Storage of mobile phones post-in-use lifespan is the most opted disposal method, and it is one of the significant barriers to reuse, recycling and metal recovery. When it comes to recycling, the research undertaken on the recycling of obsolete mobile phones is not as in-depth when compared to the research done on recycling of e-waste in general. This article identifies future directions for sustainable end-of-life management of obsolete mobile phones.

Consumer behaviour towards storage, disposal and recycling of e-waste: systematic review and future research prospects

Purpose

With the rapid increase in the consumption of electrical and electronic innovations, responsible management and recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been a significant concern for the governments, stakeholders, researchers and industry practitioners around the world. Consumer awareness, disposal behaviour and perception are chief facets of designing sustainable management strategies. Although researchers have widely studied e-waste over many years, the research focusing on consumer awareness about e-waste recycling has gained momentum recently. This paper aims to systematise the existing literature and explore future research prospects on household e-waste sorting behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Web of science (WoS) core collection was searched using selected keywords to identify relevant articles published from 2001 to 2021. The search resulted in 1,156 research articles published from 2001 to 2021. After a detailed study, 85 articles were shortlisted for in-depth review. The review was conducted based on global trends, top journals, most prolific authors, most active e-waste research countries, and institutions centring on consumer participation in e-waste disposal and recycling behaviour. The present research has also identified around eleven factors that seem to have a bearing on consumer behaviour towards storage, disposal and recycling of e-waste.

Findings

E-waste research has gained increased attention in the last five years. The majority of the studies has focused on motivational factors and ignore the risks associated with handling e-waste. The present study reports the pertinent issue of lack of awareness among the masses about e-waste handling and disposal. Thus, bringing to the fore the lack of awareness programmes and initiatives. The analysis presents the gaps in the literature and future research agendas.

Originality/value

The review article will help in providing an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour towards storage, disposal and recycling of e-waste and delineates the future direction of research that may be undertaken in this field of study.

Collecting Small-Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Poland—How Can Containers Help in Disposal of E-Waste by Individuals?

The effectiveness of e-waste collection depends on organizational and social factors. Individuals should have easy access to collection points and be aware of proper methods of e-waste disposal. This article investigates the availability, usability, and occurring irregularities of the container collection of small-waste electrical and electronic equipment. The study explores the attitude and behavior of individuals when disposing of small-waste equipment in the South of Poland. The results show that ninety-five percent of supermarkets’ managers responsible for waste management find a growing interest in the disposal of small e-waste by individuals. An increasing number of collection containers encourages residents to dispose of small-waste appliances. More than eighty-three percent of respondents are aware of proper methods of e-waste disposal. Additional information campaigns addressed to residents are required to prevent mixing electrical and electronic waste with other waste and to encourage the disposal of small e-waste. The intention to dispose of small e-waste was declared by only thirty-two percent of respondents. Containers with discarded easy breakable items, such as lamps, should be removed more frequently. The collection containers’ noticeability is evaluated by individuals as of average difficulty. The containers in supermarkets have simple designs and labels indicating the category of waste for disposal. The containers installed in residential areas have attractive designs and advertising slogans. The individuals expect the containers should be available in more locations that are easily accessible from households. The results of this study should be helpful for local authorities, waste collection companies, and waste electrical and electronic organizations, to support design, location selection, and information campaigns for small e-waste container collections.

Consumer’s Circular Behaviors in Relation to the Purchase, Extension of Life, and End of Life Management of Electrical and Electronic Products: A Review

Nowadays, management of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and the related waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is a growing concern around the world and clearly an open issue to tackle in order to move towards a more circular economy. The goal of this review paper is to analyze and summarize research conducted exploring behaviors connected with purchases, extension of useful life, and management of end of life of electrical and electronic equipment. The results highlight several research exploring the determinants of WEEE recycling behavior, also in relation with different practices (e.g., online recycling); on the other hand other typologies of behaviors are less analyzed in the literature (e.g., purchase of used EEE products, donation of EEE products, participation in WEEE takeback activities established by firm operating in this sector, etc.). Moreover, the results suggest that the theoretical model adopted in many studies reveals its usefulness to predict the determinist of such circular consumer’s behavior in relation to the purchase, extension of life, and end of life management of electrical and electronic products; however, in many cases, additional variables are needed to fully explain the behavior.

Waste mobile phones: A survey and analysis of the awareness, consumption and disposal behavior of consumers in Australia

Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world and waste mobile phone (WMP) represents a significant portion of the stream. Consumer awareness, consumption, and disposal behavior are of importance to assist in the implementation the circular economy. In Australia, some 94% of the adult population has a mobile phone, and the only WMP collection and recycling program in the country - "MobileMuster" is operating under a voluntary scheme. This study reveals consumers' familiarity with the program, current consumption, and disposal behavior concerning mobile phones from a survey implemented in Sydney, Australia. In addition to descriptive analysis, statistical analysis (with the Chi-square test of independence and Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR)) identifies factors that influenced the behaviors. The results show that only one-third of the respondents (32.42%) were aware of the program, and that there are 3.65 mobile phones in use per household, with an average possession lifespan of 3.17 years (including storage). Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between age and possession of mobile phones, and respondents discard or change their mobile phones while they were still working or repairable. The main reasons for disposing of mobile phones relate to them being either damaged/not functioning, lacking additional features, or having a backdated capacity. Storing (hoarding) mobile phones after active use was found predominant, and, more specifically, respondents aged 18-24 and 25-29 preferred to store their WMPs instead of taking them to collection points. The results reveal a need for environmental awareness-raising campaigns concerning WMPs recycling.

Combining an artificial intelligence algorithm and a novel vehicle for sustainable e-waste collection

Mobile collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment is a collection method that is convenient for residents and companies. New opportunities to use mobile apps and internet applications facilitate the ordering of waste pickups from households and preparation of a collection plan for a waste collection company. It improves the secondary raw materials collection in a circular economy approach after recycling waste equipment. This study presents a combined methodology for improving the efficiency of e-waste collection. An online e-waste collection supporting system uses a Harmony Search algorithm for route optimization of waste collection vehicles. The results of the optimization are better compared to other artificial intelligence algorithms presented in the literature and the number of visited collection points is higher from 1.2%-6.6% depending on the compared algorithm. To increase the efficiency of waste loading and packing, a novel collection vehicle body construction is presented. The design includes the convenient loading of waste from both sides of the vehicle and the rear side being equipped with a hydraulic lift. The proposed vehicle model can be used for e-waste collection in places with limited parking spaces or where the parking time is limited, such as in densely populated city centers. The waste equipment packing efficiency increases and eliminates the necessity of including a container loading problem in the algorithm and allows increasing waste equipment number loaded in a collection vehicle.

A Systematic Literature Review of Concepts and Factors Related to Pro-Environmental Consumer Behaviour in Relation to Waste Management Through an Interdisciplinary Approach

Although there has been a steady increase in the number of studies on consumer behaviour in relation to sustainable development, there is limited focus on the product disposal phase. This systematic literature review intends to: (1) clarify how concepts related to pro-environmental consumer behaviour are understood and analysed in the academic literature on waste management; (2) discover any interplay between pro-environmental consumer behaviour and generic consumer behaviour, and the conditions and factors that favour it. A typical systematic literature review methodology was applied to the papers available on Web of Science, Science Direct and EBSCO (Elton Bryson Stephens Company) host between 1975 and 2019, leading to the selection of 699 final papers. The findings reveal that: (1) Although scholars tend to create a variety of pro-environmental consumer behaviour models depending on their specific field of inquiry, all approaches can be traced back to a limited number of reference theories; (2) The overall level of interplay between pro-environmental consumer behaviour and generic consumer behaviour is limited, nevertheless a favourable context or a supportive institutional-legal framework can significantly influence it; (3) A plethora of conditions and factors favour this type of interplay, involving social psychology, laws, economics, institutions and more; (4) Several critical issues appear in the analysed papers, especially some scholars’ assumptions to be able to identify all key factors. It follows the need for a more interdisciplinary approach, a deeper analysis of the effectiveness of the intervention measures at the governmental and institutional level, and a clear classification of factors and conditions (as proposed by this review).

Analysis of e-waste recycling behavior based on survey at a Midwestern US University

The United States lacks a set of unified electronic waste recycling laws, contributing in part to the observed low rate of e-waste recycling behaviors among consumers. Individual factors of consumers contributing to the low recycling rates are not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate consumer behaviors, including barriers, surrounding e-waste recycling at a large Midwestern university in the United States. A survey was administered to faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and staff to determine their personal recycling habits, knowledge, and beliefs. The results indicate that free access to disposal, lack of consumer knowledge about products and disposal sites, and access to a recycling facility within a reasonable distance are all important factors in consumer decisions. Policy-makers and waste management professionals should focus on promotion of e-waste recycling behaviors through increased access to free or low-cost recycling as well as through the creation of recycling incentives.

Design for Divestment in a Circular Economy: Stimulating Voluntary Return of Smartphones through Design

For the transition toward a circular economy, it is essential that products are returned for reuse, refurbishing or recycling. In order to address the lack of literature on the topic from a user perspective, this paper explores how users can be stimulated to return used smartphones. Taking a Research through Design approach, we developed a novel set of “design for divestment” principles. Divestment is the process users experience when separating from a product. After introducing a conceptual model of divestment based on an extension of the Consumer Decision Process model by Blackwell, Engel, and Miniard, we describe seven empirical studies (i.e., design projects) into smartphone divestment. The studies explore factors that influence a successful divestment process. We report on a highly complex process with interrelated factors changing over time. While it is impossible to define a blueprint for an ideal divestment process, several patterns emerged such as the need to emotionally support users, to give them confidence regarding data security, and to provide information at the right moment. These unique insights contribute to consumer research (i.e., circular consumption); and by translating the insights to ten design principles for divestment, a novel contribution is made to the field of design research.

The adoption of internet of things in a circular supply chain framework for the recovery of WEEE: the case of lithium-ion electric vehicle battery packs

The rapid growth in the sales of electric and electronic devices over recent decades is generating worldwide concern about the management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). New methodologies to extend the useful life of products have long been sought, accelerating the shift from a linear to a Circular Economy (CE). When products reach the End-of-Life (EoL) stage, the Reverse Supply Chain (RSC) is responsible for managing operations, with greater efforts being needed to improve the associated information infrastructure. In fact, this has become increasingly feasible due to the emergence of a new digital revolution led by the Internet of Things (IoT). To shed light on this matter, we propose the Circular Supply Chain (CSC) framework for EoL management aimed at satisfying the information infrastructure requirements in a particular scenario for the recovery of Electric Vehicle Battery (EVB) packs. We present a qualitative evaluation of the CSC information requirements, and the capabilities of IoT to satisfy them. As a result, a heterogeneous IoT network deployment is proposed in pursuit of a digital CSC information infrastructure.

Domestic flow of e-waste in São Paulo, Brazil: Characterization to support public policies

Understanding the domestic flow of e-waste is essential for efficient waste management in urban contexts. However, diagnosis of domestic e-waste flow is complex due to its diffuse generation and dependence on consumer behavior. Here, we characterized domestic e-waste flow in São Paulo, Brazil (a megacity with roughly 11 million inhabitants in 3.5 million households), describing the stages of product acquisition, out-of-use storage, and end-of-life destination, via a population-based cross-sectional study using a statistically representative sample. We conducted household interviews using a structured questionnaire, with questions on characteristics, quantities, and behaviors of acquisition, replacement, storage, repair, and destination for 26 electric and electronic equipment (EEE) categories. Each household had on average 21 EEE (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.7-21.7), of which 18 were in use and 3 were out-of-use. Out-of-use storage was common, occurring in 72.6% of households. Discarded EEE (i.e., e-waste) was destined for intended reuse (59.5%; 95% CI: 57.4-61.5%), recycling (20.4%; 95% CI: 18.8-22.1%), and, particularly for small EEE, municipal waste (16.0%; 95% CI: 14.5-17.6%). Other aspects of domestic e-waste flow (e.g., place and time of acquisition, second-hand acquisition, donation, intention to repair damaged EEE, and storage) were quantified and related to actions for public policies. This research shows that household surveys are useful for obtaining primary data to verify consumer behavior toward EEE. We expect the findings of this study to support decision-making for public policies related to e-waste management, particularly in countries where reverse logistics systems are in the initial phase of implementation.