Systematic Quantification of Waste Compositions: A Case Study for Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment Plastics in the European Union

Alexander Boudewijn, Jef R. Peeters, Dirk Cattrysse, Wim Dewulf, Luca Campadello, Alessia Accili and Joost R. Duflou
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Alexander Boudewijn: Centre for Industrial Management/Traffic & Infrastructure, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Jef R. Peeters: Centre for Industrial Management/Traffic & Infrastructure, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Dirk Cattrysse: Centre for Industrial Management/Traffic & Infrastructure, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Wim Dewulf: Campus Group T, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Luca Campadello: Erion, 20154 Milan, Italy
Alessia Accili: Erion, 20154 Milan, Italy
Joost R. Duflou: Flanders Make Institute, 3001 Leuven, Belgium

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is a prominent and increasing waste stream for which the Commission of the European Union has put in place ambitious recycling targets. However, these targets can only be achieved by ensuring that both industry and governments develop adequate infrastructure and policies for recycling plastics in an economically and technically optimal manner. Unfortunately, a quantitative overview of WEEE plastics covering the composition of waste streams down to the product component level and describing polymer and additive concentrations, is currently lacking. This hinders policymakers and recyclers in making strategic decisions regarding WEEE plastics recycling. Therefore, a novel method is proposed in this paper combining experimental results with findings from prior literature in order to provide sound quantitative insights into the volume and characteristics of the plastics content of WEEE collected in the European Union. The provided overview was obtained through a combination of proprietary experimental data and a statistical data integration method. More specifically, over 3800 samples awere analysed through manual composition analysis, FTIR, and XRF. The obtained results were integrated with data from prior literature through a novel data integration methodology based on linear opinion pools. The obtained results confirm that distinct plastic types can be found in different product categories and that flame retardants are only found in high concentrations in specific waste streams or components thereof. Hence, the presented analysis provides a quantitative substantiation for the separate collection and treatment of specific waste streams in order to reduce the complexity of the mix of plastic types and allow for the more cost-efficient and higher quality recycling of plastics.

Keywords: WEEE; e-waste; plastics; recycling; data integration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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