End-of-life management of computers in Brussels: environmental comparison of two treatment chains

Driven by environmental concerns and new legal requirements, the targeted collection rates of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are increasing and waste operators seek to expand their collection. In this research, we compare the environmental impacts of two existing end-of-life treatment chains of computers in Brussels based on a life cycle assessment. The first chain is managed by the association responsible for complying to the take-back obligation on behalf of manufacturers in Belgium. The second one is run by work integration social enterprises (WISE) which prioritize reuse and a deeper manual dismantling of WEEE prior to mechanical treatment. The results show that the latter chain provides an environmental advantage up to 69% in comparison to the former thanks to reuse and a higher material recovery rate. Thus, if the first chain increases its collection in detriment of WISE, the global environmental benefits of the treatment of WEEE will decrease.SCOPUS: cp.p