Risk Assessment of E-Waste Recycling with a Focus on ISO 9000 Standard

Abstract

E-waste is a global concern, and it requires technological as well as policy expertise for efficient management. Global e-waste generation in 2014 was nearly 41.8 million tons, and it is expected to rise to 72 million tons by 2017. Though a considerable amount of e-waste is generated from individual/home usage, the frequency of obsolesce of EEE is higher in the commercial and industrial sectors. Green computing refers to environmentally friendly computing strategies. E-waste management is one of the approaches of green computing. Risk assessment though not enforced by most parties is one of the most integral parts of handling e-waste in green compliant way. Risk assessment in any organization is mandatory that has been certified by ISO 9001:2015. Keeping records within an organization and utilization of the recorded documents for continual improvement of the organization is one of the important clauses of ISO 9000. Proper documentation of the EEE in any organization will help to predict the e-waste generation in that organization. Based on the outcomes, it is possible to strengthen the e-waste management system by also predicting and preparing for the risks associated with each step in that organization. Under the present investigation, risk has been categorized into three categories, namely environment risk, operational and health risk and social risk. The study explores the risks associated with the lifecycle of EEE. Based on the outcome first, the risks associated with every lifecycle stage are identified. Then, the risks are categorized under any one of the three categories mentioned above. The impact of each risk is different. And depending on the impact, the course of action taken is identified. Hence, after categorizing risks, they are assigned a severity after careful literature survey. The final outcome thus gives a holistic picture of the risks associated with every step and the sort of impact it has. This study will enhance green computing and the awareness towards risk-oriented e-waste management will grow which will also be the pavement for attitudinal change towards e-waste. The findings will hopefully add more structure to the process of e-waste management and prove beneficial for an organization and the environment.