Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment: WEEE Import Audit of Pakistan

Research Article

Austin Environ Sci. 2017; 2(2): 1022.

Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment: WEEE Import Audit of Pakistan

Shahkhan S¹*, Akhtar F², Moghria B³ and Uddin M4

¹Department of Environmental Management, National College of Business Administration & Economics, Pakistan

²Department of Environment Management and Policy, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering & Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Balochistan,

³Environmental Management and Sciences University of Sargoda, Pakistan

4Department of Physics, University of Balochistan, Pakistan

*Corresponding author: Safdar Shahkhan, Department of Environmental Management, National College of Business Administration & Economics, Pakistan

Received: June 01, 2017; Accepted: July 18, 2017; Published: July 25, 2017

Abstract

WEEE management has evolved as a major policy issue for eco-innovation in Pakistan. Existing research in the domain established that there is a persistent problem of WEEE management and it has deleterious effect on the environment of the country. The paper concluded that the major issues of policy failure occurred in the management of WEEE in developing countries are; lack of inventory system, trans boundary movement, inadequate legislation, role of informal sector and most important knowledge and awareness in handling the WEEE issue. The WEEE audit of Pakistan show that more than 343062 tons of WEEE was imported between 2007-2015 years, the share of computers and computer related accessories is more than 76%. The paper focuses different management options for the strategic direction in policy formation especially useful in developing countries.

Keywords: WEEE; E-waste; Polices, Pakistan; Sustainable development; Environmental challenges; Waste management

Introduction to EEE and WEEE

Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. With the growth of information and communication technology industries have enhanced the usage of the electric and electronic equipment exponentially. A precise definition of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) is “those equipments which consume electric charge or electromagnetic fields for its operational procedures” [1]. After the completion of useful life; these equipments are known as Waste Electric and Electronic Equipments or WEEE. Alternative terminologies used synonymously for WEEE are e-scrap, e-junk and e-trash, End-of-Life (EoL), and e-waste. The usage of the term WEEE differs from country to country depending upon the indigenous legal system [2]. Commonly used definitions in international scenario are given in Table-1.