Differences of methods to estimate generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment for developing countries: Jordan as a case study

Mahdi Ikhlayel

Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2016, vol. 108, issue C, 134-139

Abstract: This paper examined pros and cons of five methods of estimating generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The study considered WEEE generated from the household sector and aimed at discussing the applicability of the methods to developing countries. For this purpose, Jordan was used as a case study in the Middle East and the North Africa (MENA) region. The total and individual amounts of six types of WEEE generated in Jordan, including both firsthand and secondhand were estimated. The Consumption and Use (C&U) method, which has been widely employed in developing countries because parameters needed are a few and easy to obtain, was modified. The modifications addressed its drawback in which it underestimates the amounts of WEEE. The study showed that most of the compared methods provided similar estimates of the total WEEE amounts but dissimilar results for each appliance. Each method has to be applied with careful consideration of the market conditions (e.g. saturated or unsaturated). For instance, the original C&U method can be applied to a condition of a fully saturated market. Here, the method's assumption is each household owns, at least, one appliance shared by the household members. The Simple Delay method can be applied to a fully saturated market, where the Time Step and the Mass Balance methods apply to both saturated and unsaturated markets. The Approximation 2 method overestimates the amount of WEEE, but its suitability is for a fully saturated market.

Keywords: WEEE; Estimation methods; Waste generation; Inventory; MENA region (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:recore:v:108:y:2016:i:c:p:134-139

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.01.015

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