Electronic equipment that has ceased to be of value to users, such as these old computers, may contain recoverable precious materials, thereby making it a different kind of waste than traditional municipal waste.

E-waste is a generic term embracing various forms of electric and electronic equipment that have ceased to be of value to their users or no longer satisfy their original purpose either through redundancy, replacement, or breakage. Accordingly, e-waste includes both white goods (refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves) and brown goods (televisions, radios, and computers) that have exhausted their utility value. The information and technology revolution has exponentially increased the use of new electronic equipment. It has also produced growing volumes of obsolete products, thereby making e-waste one of the fastest-growing waste streams. The impact ...