Does WEEE recycling make sense from an environmental perspe 2005 Environment

The production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, leading to an expected increase in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the coming decades. This study examines the environmental impacts of the Swiss take-back and recycling systems for WEEE, specifically focusing on the SWICO and S.EN.S systems, which are based on an advanced recycling fee and are well established in Switzerland. Using a combined approach of material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), we estimated the environmental consequences of these systems, encompassing all treatment steps from WEEE collection to the transformation of waste into secondary materials or final disposal. A baseline scenario was considered in which no WEEE is recycled, relying solely on primary production for similar raw material volumes. Results indicate that the major environmental impacts arise from subsequent treatment processes necessary to generate secondary raw materials, rather than from sorting and dismantling activities. Thus, within these two systems, the significance of WEEE collection is highlighted as being much more relevant to environmental sustainability than sorting and dismantling.