ANALYSIS OF THE E-WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN THE CONTEXT OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Quantities of electrical and electronic waste, on a global scale, are growing rapidly. This waste contains materials that can be recovered as secondary raw materials as well as hazardous materials and substances that can become dangerous to environment. In this context, managing electronic waste (or e-waste) is one of the most important problems worldwide. In this context, our approach takes into account the applicability of the circular economy principles in the lifecycle stages of the electronic products, from manufacturing and delivery to end-of-life and their transformation into waste, in terms of the involvement of key industry stakeholder, consumers, authorities and civil society. This paper highlights the main aspects on how waste should be properly managed at the end of the useful life of the electrical and electronic equipment through recycling and revaluation, reducing as much as possible harmful effects on the environment. Also, this paper presents a brief analysis of the statistical data related to the level of collection and recycling of e-waste in the European Union, in general, and in Romania, in particular. The data indicates that only a small proportion of electronic waste is recycled and recovered.