Material Recycling and Flow of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Korea

The proper management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) or electronic waste (e-waste) has become a major issue of concern for solid waste communities due to the large volumes of the waste being generated as well as the potential resource recovery associated with rare metals found in discarded electronic devices. Improper management of such waste can cause potential environmental impacts associated with toxic chemicals found in most electronic devices. This paper presents the current management system and recycling efforts of WEEE in Korea. Specifically, the generation rates, recycling target rates, and the EPR (extended producer responsibility) system of e-waste have been discussed. The results indicate that life spans of e-waste ranged from 2.3 year for mobile phone to 7.8 year for refrigerator and washing machine. The results in this study by using the Monte- Carlo simulation method showed that the national recycling target rate in 2017 was predicted to be 4.74 kg/person/year on average (5% percentile 4.03 kg/person/year, 95% percentile 5.54 kg/person/year). The AHP modeling was also performed to expand the WEEE list by the EPR. Recent WEEE policy efforts (expansion of the EPR list, shared responsibility of distributors with producers, and better collection system by local governments) with diverse collection programs and the development of advanced e-waste recycling technology would increase collection and recycling rates of the waste. The strengthened WEEE regulations would encourage its producers to develop more environmentally sustainable products, and require them to take extended responsibility for the recycling of their products.