An analysis of waste and information flows in an ICT waste management system

The generation and accumulation of obsolete electrical and electronic equipment is growing fast, becoming one of the most complex waste streams the modern world face. It is clear that the e-waste environmental, economical, and social consequences, that stakeholders in both developed and developing countries should deal with, need a proper e-waste management system. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the flow in an e-waste management system, present the processes included and the necessary information that interrelate and affect the processes. The analysis focuses on the management system for e-wastes created by IT and telecommunication equipment. The paper presents relative studies and flow diagrams that were used in the development of the herein proposed diagram. The study results in the presentation of a material and information flow diagram of ICT waste management system. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of The Hellenic Association for Information and Communication Technologies in Agriculture Food and Environment (HAICTA)