Study on e-waste (CRT TVs/monitors and washing machines) generation in Bandung

Abstract

Modern day's rapid development in technology has forced a shift in trends and popularity of electronic products. This causes early obsolescence of former technologies such as cathode ray tubes (CRT), leading to massive disposal in a short amount of time. To be able to predict this newly developing waste stream, a study on the generation of such electronic waste products is needed. In a case study focusing on Bandung, questionnaires to primary sources of e-waste such as households, offices, schools and laundromats were conducted to determine not only the number of e-products that is used and discarded, but also how e-waste is treated firsthand when it becomes unwanted. The e-waste generation predicted is about 65,000 units of CRT TVs per year, 19,000 CRT monitors per year and 48,000 washing machines per year. Survey results show that when proper waste collection and recycling is implemented, CRT TVs and monitors will have been eliminated within a decade (2028 being the marking year) meanwhile the trend for washing machine consumption continues to incline up until today.