Estimating the Amount of Electronic Waste Generated in Indonesia: Population Balance Model

Abstract

Waste of electrical and electronic equipment, better known as electronic waste (e-waste) shows an increasing trend from time to time. By 2016, the total amount of e-waste generated globally has reached 44.7 million metric tons (Mt), i.e. 24.4% of growth over the past five years. It should not be a problem if all of this waste is being collected and recycled properly. Statistics show that only around 20% of the e-waste generated in the world was recycled properly. The situation is even worse in the developing countries where the population has not yet covered by e-waste legislation, such as Indonesia. The lack of reliable e-waste data is the main reason as no statistics are available to show that e-waste in Indonesia is growing rapidly and will cause problems in the future. This study attempts to quantitatively estimate the e-waste in Indonesia by using the population balance model (PBM). PBM enhances the estimation results by involving all three data points, i.e. sales, stocks and lifespans in the calculation step. The e-waste estimated is for four most common e-products found in the e-waste stream in Indonesia. These four products are categorized into two groups based on their market’s characteristics. Washing machines, refrigerators, and television represent part of saturated market products, while mobile phones lie in the unsaturated market category. The results show that the average growth rate of e-waste in Indonesia is 14.91% annually. The total amount of electronic waste generated in Indonesia is estimated to reach ±49,627,917 units (±487,416 ton) by 2028.