Sustainable electrical and electronic plastics recycling

Abstract

As North America looks into the future of recycling plastics from end-of-life (EOL) electrical and electronic equipment, we should be asking ourselves: "How do we make this a sustainable enterprise?" To be sustainable, plastics recycling needs to meet the requirements of economic viability, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. This paper addresses all three of these aspects as we explore a vision for sustainable plastics recycling from EOL electronics. Some of the hurdles to developing a robust plastics recovery and recycling system are discussed, as well as the steps industry has already taken to meet the challenge.