Computer-aided recycling process planning for end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment

The significant environmental cost associated with management of products at the end-of-life has resulted in the emergence of ‘producer responsibility’ legislations to encourage increase in recovery and recycling practices. In the case of electrical and electronic equipment, one such legislation, namely the ‘Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive’, requires manufacturers to assume financial and legal liability for recovery and recycling of their products at the end-of-life. The current recycling applications of electrical and electronic waste are often developed on ad hoc basis and mainly attributable to the hidden economic value within used products. However, owing to stricter regulations on end-of-life product recycling, it is now essential to evaluate the recycling costs and environmental benefits of reclaimed products and materials as well as the selection of appropriate recycling strategy. The present paper describes the initial investigation in the realization of a computer-aided recycling process planner for electrical and electronic products. The assertion made is that such a systematic approach to producing bespoke eco-efficient recycling process plans for individual products will significantly improve the value recovery from recycling activities.