Management of waste from electrical and electronic equipment: The case of television sets and refrigerators

Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) constitutes one of the most complicated solid waste streams, in terms of its composition, and, as a result, it is difficult to be effectively managed. Waste from electrical and electronic equipment recycling is an important subject not only from the point of waste management, but also from the recovery of valuable materials. Characterization of this waste stream is of paramount importance for developing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly recycling system. Selective disassembly, targeting on singling out hazardous and (or) valuable components, is an indispensable process in the practice of WEEE recycling. It is very costly to perform manual dismantling of those products, due to the fact that brown goods contain very low-grade precious metals and copper. This work focuses on two major types of WEEE, television sets and refrigerators, giving analytical information on specific recovery and recycling procedures for their effective management.