10 07 29 Master thesis Juliana Leon - e-Waste. This guide

In the three scenarios, informally dismantled computers appear to be a significant
part of the total generated quantities (Figure 16). The informal dismantling varies
considerably between the three scenarios mainly because the quantity treated by the
formal sector is pretty well known, and therefore, varies little between the scenarios.
The refurbishment business (formal, semi-formal and informal) is broadly practiced
as stated before, and without this practice, informal dismantling would probably be
much higher.
Computer Waste
[tons/year]
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
Total generation
Formal
treatment
Refurbish
Informal
Dismantling
Base scenario 8,100 1,186 2,280 4,374
Best case 6,100 1,359 2,132 2,579
Worst case 11,400 825 2,299 7,551
Figure 16: Treatment of computer waste in the three model scenarios, Colombia 2009.
Quantities corresponding to the different collection pathways are shown in Figure 17.
Depending on the scenario, formal collection (i.e. pickup transport service arranged
by CPE or by formal treatment companies) can range from 11% to 29% of the total
generated waste, whereas informal direct collection (from users) varies from 11% to
34% of the total generated waste. In total, the recicladores contribute to the collection
with 2,100 to 5,100 tons of computer waste in 2009. Although auctions are a legal
mechanism to get rid of lots of obsolete computers, they are also an important entry
to the IS.
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