E-Waste and the Circular Economy
Towards a Circular Electronics Economy
How design, repair, reuse and recycling can create a circular economy for electronics, and a recap of the module.
A circular economy keeps materials in use as long as possible.
Circular steps
- Design durable, repairable devices.
- Repair and extend life.
- Reuse through refurbished markets.
- Recycle safely to recover materials.
Policy mix
- EPR and certificates.
- Right to repair.
- Longer software support.
- Formal recycling with informal inclusion.
Module recap
- The world generated about 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022.
- India’s rules use EPR certificates.
- Seelampur shows informal recycling’s scale.
- Urban mining recovers valuable metals.
- Right to repair extends product life.
- Old fridges and ACs release refrigerant gases if dismantled unsafely.
- Refurbished phones reduce waste.
- Rich countries shipped e-waste abroad.
- Solar and battery waste is coming.
- Unsafe recycling harms health.
- Formal recycling needs support.
The five-year phone
A consumer buys a repairable phone, replaces its battery after three years, sells it refurbished after five, and it's finally recycled safely.
Thinking recycling alone solves e-waste
Design, repair and reuse matter first.
Key takeaways
- A circular economy designs, repairs, reuses and recycles.
- EPR and right to repair support circularity.
- Formal recycling should include informal workers.
- Electronics can keep materials in use longer.
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