x>EPA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
Electronics Waste Management
In the United States Through 2009
Executive Summary
May 201 I
EPA530-S-II-OOI
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United States Environmental Protection Agency
Solid Waste & Emergency Response
Washington, DC 20460
The full report, Electronics Waste Management in the United States Through 2009,
is available at www.epa.gov/ecycling
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Executive Summary
Consumer electronics have become increasingly popular and culturally important
over the past several decades, changing how we communicate, get information, and enter-
tain ourselvesand the speed with which we do so.
As the nature, use, and number of electronic
products change over time, patterns of sales,
storage, and end-of-life management (disposal
and collection for recycling) also change. Waste
managers, manufacturers, and policymakers need
reliable and current information to inform and
improve the management of used electronics.
This Executive Summary provides an overview
of the report, Electronic Waste Management in the
United States Through 2009.
We estimate that in 2009:
438 million new electronic products were sold;
5 million short tons of electronic products were
in storage;
2.37 million short tons of electronic products
were ready for end-of-life management; and
25 percent of these tons were collected for
recycling.
Used electronics comprise approximately one to
two percent of the municipal solid waste stream, but they garner a great deal of interest
for several reasons:
D rapid sales growth and change in the sector are generating a growing stream of
used electronics needing appropriate management;
D electronic products contain diverse material inputs and scarce resources, many
of which can be recovered;
D the presence of substances of concern in some electronics, particularly older
products, merits greater consideration for safe end-of-life management; and
D opportunities for resource conservation and materials recovery through in-
creased reuse and recycling of electronics.
Executive Summary
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To better understand and quantify the movement of used electronics, we analyzed select
electronic products from residential and commercial/institutional users that were sold in
the United States from 1980 through 201 O.We looked at the electronic product categories
listed below. We chose these categories because they cover a broad range of electronic
products commonly targeted by stewardship and recycling initiatives at the federal, state,
and local levels.
Computers: desktop central processing units (CPUs) and portables
Computer displays: cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors and flat-panel monitors
Keyboards and mice
Hard-copy devices: printers, fax machines,
scanners, digital copiers, and multi-func-
tion devices
Televisions (TVs): monochrome, cathode
ray tube (CRT), flat-panel, and projection
Mobile devices: cell phones, personal digital
assistants (PDAs), smartphones, and pagers
Thefulllifecycleof electronic products includestheacquisition of raw materials.manufactu ring,
purchase and use, storage, and end-of-life management (recycling or disposal).This report
models the number and weight of electronic products that are in use, storage, and end-of-
life management in a given year; extending from purchase to the point when the product
is either disposed or collected for recycling.The subsequent management and processing
of electronic products that were collected for recycling involves a different methodology
which EPA has not yet developed. Consequently, this report does not attempt to quantify
the portion of electronic products collected for recycling that are subsequently exported.
Electronics Waste Management in the United Stores Through 20/0
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The data elements in the model include sales, product weights, lifespan and
storage estimates, and the quantity of used electronic products collected for
recycling. We used sales data to determine the number of electronic products
entering use in a given year and weight data to estimate the total tonnage of
these products. We used shipment data from International Data Corporation,
Consumer Electronics Association, and an INFORM report to estimate sales. We
projected sales for 2008-2010 based on trends in the shipping data, literature,
and communications with industry experts. Using data from an electronic
product brand distribution project conducted in Florida from 2004 to 2006, we
estimated the lifespans of each electronic product category. From literature and
communication with industry experts, we developed assumptions of how long
products are in use versus storage, and modeled the total number and weight of
electronic products in use, storage, or end-of-life management for each calendar year.
To determine the quantity of used electronics collected for recycling, we estimated
the amounts of used electronics collected from residential and commercial sources.
For used electronics collected from residential sources, we took data from eight state-
mandated electronics recycling programs, covering 29 percent of the U.S. population and
combined it with an assumption that one pound of electronics per capita is collected
for recycling from the remaining 71 percent of the population. This assumption is
consistent with states reporting low levels of collection and reflects our understanding
that electronic products are collected through various municipality or manufacturer
sponsored programs in varying amounts but reporting is not in place. From the quantity
of used electronics collected from residential sources, we then back-calculated the
total amount of used electronics collected for recycling, assuming that used electronics
collected from commercial/institutional sources accounted for 67 percent of the total,
based on survey information from recyclers. To estimate the rates at which mobile
devices are collected for recycling we used the results of a small survey of recyclers.
Table ES-l:Total products at end-of-life, in storage, and in use in 2009
Total sold
(1980-2009)
In use
Total in
storage
At end-of-life
Total sold
(1980-2009)
In use
Total in
storage
At end-of-life
Computers
units
('OOOs)
857,000
325,000
70,500
462,000
short tons
7,570,000
2,430,000
742,000
4,400,000
Keyboards and mice*
units
('OOOs)
1 ,670,000
368,000
Not
Estimated
1,310,000
short tons
1 ,460,000
3 1 1 ,000
Not
Estimated
1,150,000
Computer displays
units
('OOOs)
653,000
191,000
40,200
422,000
short tons
1 1 ,000,000
2,590,000
862,000
7,560,000
TVs
units
('OOOs)
772,000
312,000
104,000
356,000
short tons
25,400,000
1 1 ,200,000
2,930,000
1 1 ,300,000
Hard-copy devices
units ('OOOs)
471,000
1 67,000
41,400
262,000
short
tons
4,050,000
1 ,450,000
352,000
2,250,000
Mobile devices
units ('OOOs)
1 ,660,000
812,000
57,800
789,000
short
tons
257,000
94,100
9,270
1 54,000
""Keyboards and mice are each counted individually and the model did not include any storage estimates.
Executive Summary
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Table ES-2: Rate at which used electronics are collected for recycling relative to the
total weight of each product ready for end-of-life management, 2006 to 2010
*Resu/ts are projected for 2010 based on estimates from previous years.
Calendar
year
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010*
Computers
33%
36%
38%
38%
40%
Computer
displays
21%
24%
26%
29%
33%
Hard -copy
devices
37%
38%
35%
34%
33%
Keyboards
and mice
7%
7%
7%
8%
10%
TVs
16%
17%
16%
17%
17%
Mobile
devices
6%
7%
11%
8%
11%
Total
22%
24%
24%
25%
27%
Note:The rate at which mobile devices are collected for recycling each year varies more significantly from year to year,
compared to other product types, because of variation in actual collection of mobile devices and the quality of collec-
tion reporting.
According to our analysis and projections:
Sales of new electronics are driving increases in the use, storage, and end-of-life
management of electronics.An estimated 438 million electronic products were
sold in 2009, which represents a doubling of product sales from 1997 - driven by
a nine-fold increase in mobile device sales.
2.37 million short tons of used electronics entered end-of-life management in
2009, which represents an increase of more than 120 percent of the quantity
of electronics discarded from 1999.Table ES-1 details the number of electronic
products by category that entered end-of-life management in 2009.
CRT TVs and CRT monitors comprised nearly half, by weight, of the electronics
that entered the waste stream in 2009.
141 million mobile devices entered end-of-life management in 2009, more than
any other type of product included in the analysis, yet they comprise less than
one percent of end-of-life electronics by weight.
25 percent of electronic products were collected for recycling in 2009.Table
ES-2 provides information on the rates at which individual electronic product
categories were collected for recycling. If recent trends in the growth of
electronics collected for recycling continue, this will likely reach 27 percent in
2010an increase of 179,000 short tons relative to 2006.This quantity could
increase further as new state programs are implemented.
Five million short tons of electronic products were in storage in 2009. Residential
households currently store five times more computer products than commercial
establishments.
Electronics Waste Management in the United Stores Through 20/0
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Figure ES-I: Quantity of electronic products ready for end-of-life management in the
United States. *Results for 2010 are projected based on estimates from previous years.
o
fl
i
i
*S
1
X
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
Mobile devices
Monochrome TVs
Projection TV
Rat-panel TVs
CUT TVS
PC fat panels
PC CRT monitors
Hard-copy devices
Keyboards
Mice
Portables
Desktops
1990
1995
1000
2005
2010*
Figure ES-2: Quantity of electronic products collected for recycling or disposed of, by
year. *Resu/ts for 2010 are projected based on estimates from previous years.
2,500
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010*
D Mobile devices - recycled
D TVs-recycled
D Keyboards and mice - recycled
D Hard-copy devices - recycled
Computer displays - recycled
Computers - recyded
D Mobile devices - disposed
D TVs-disposed
Keyboards and mice - disposed
Hard-copy devices - disposed
Computer displays - disposed
Computers - disposed
Executive Summary
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Our new estimate for the tonnage of electronic products collected for recycling in 2007
is 30 percent higher than our earlier estimate in our 2008 report.We believe this change
results primarily from improvements to the methodology in estimating the amount of
used electronics sent for recycling, rather than real changes reflected in the data. Due to
the lack of robust data, there is still a high level of uncertainty in the actual quantity of used
electronics collected for recycling.
Our estimate of the quantity of used electronics collected for recycling is highly sensitive
to three assumptions: first, that one pound per capita of electronics is collected for
recycling from states that do not report collection amounts; second, that there is a
relationship between the amount of electronics collected from residential and commercial
sources; and third, that 67 percent of used electronics collected for recycling come from
commercial sources. Other important sources of uncertainty in the data on electronic
products include their: average weights, lifespans, the period of time they spend in storage,
and the rate at which they are collected for recycling.
Although this analysis provides an overview of the current management of electronics
in the United States using the best data available, its broad scope does not account for
variations at the regional, state, and local levels that are likely to influence the larger
picture. Further research, data collection, and collaboration among all stakeholders, will
be essential in developing a clearer picture of the management of used electronics in the
United States in the future.
Electronics Waste Management in the United Stores Through 20/0
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