Electronic Waste Management: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach applicable to e-waste

A life cycle assessment measures inputs, outputs and environmental impacts of a product across its lifespan, from cradle to grave. Electrical and Electronic waste (E-waste) is any useless material in the form of a used part of a device in non-repairable condition; obsolete equipment or waste generated during its manufacturing process or is produced due its expiration, or subscription to an innovative electronic product. Pakistan is also a victim of this ever increasing electronic waste due to local industrial growth besides becoming a dumping ground for developed societies for their used electronic devices and equipment. Current study estimates the amount of electronic-manufacturing waste generated in the production process of fans, motors, pumps, capacitors, washing machines and to design life cycle assessment (LCA), a modern approach in waste management.