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Electronic waste as dangerous goods: a great responsibility for logisticians

Electronic waste, also known as e-waste or electronic scrap, contains numerous hazardous chemical substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants. These substances are classified as hazardous substances as they are toxic and can cause serious health problems in humans if they come into contact with them.

These substances can cause neurological damage, respiratory problems, kidney damage and carcinogenic effects. Environmental hazards arise from soil, water and air pollution, which can be released through improper storage or errors during transportation.

Electronic waste is a growing problem for the environment

Over the years, e-waste has become a serious environmental threat. According to the fourth edition of the “Global E-Waste Monitor” from 2024, 62 million tons of e-waste were produced worldwide in 2022. That’s 7.8 kilograms per capita – in just one year.

And the mountain is growing ever faster: it is expected to rise to 82 million tons per year by 2030, an increase of 32 percent. It’s not just environmentalists who realize that things can’t go on like this. This is because only a fraction, around 22 percent, of the world’s e-waste is properly collected and recycled.

Various Western governments are countering the unchecked growth of electronic waste by providing financial support for the repair of defective devices, for example. The European Union has decreed that standardized USB-C class charging cables must be used from the beginning of 2025. But there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to making electrical appliances more sustainable.

The goals for the economy and society are obvious:


  • Producing less electronic waste

  • Recycle more electronic waste

  • Storing and transporting electrical waste safely

The latter is the task of hazardous materials logistics. We can make an important contribution to this.

What actually is electronic waste?

E-waste includes all electronic devices that are no longer in use. This includes large household appliances such as fridges and washing machines, but also smartphones, computers and televisions – in short, all things that need electricity from a socket, rechargeable battery or battery.

The composition of electronic waste is questionable

E-waste is a mixture of different components, primarily metals, plastics, glass fibers, metal oxides and ceramics. All of these materials react completely differently to heat, cold or fire, which is precisely what makes them so difficult to calculate. The composition of e-waste varies considerably depending on the type, origin, age and manufacturer. A refrigerator is essentially made of steel and contains relatively small quantities of harmful substances and hardly any valuable precious metals. A container with a million old cell phones, on the other hand, contains an average of
  • 24 kilograms of gold,
  • 9 kilograms of palladium,
  • 250 kilograms of silver and
  • 9,000 kilograms of copper.

Unfortunately, e-waste often contains not only precious metals, but also highly toxic substances that can be released into the environment, such as groundwater, if not stored properly. These include mercury, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), lead, arsenic and many more.

Toxic substances and their effects on humans

Here are some of the substances frequently found in e-waste and their properties:

  • Lead: Can cause neurological damage on contact. Accident risk: Release in the event of improper disposal, especially of older batteries.
  • Mercury: Causes kidney and brain damage. Accident risk: Leaks when fluorescent lamps break.
  • Cadmium: Carcinogenic, damages lungs and kidneys. Accident risk: Released when batteries are recycled incorrectly.
  • Brominated flame retardants: Can cause endocrine disruption. Accident risk: Release at low combustion temperatures.
  • Chromium VI: (Serves as corrosion protection) Irritation of eyes, skin and mucous membranes. DNA damage. Accident risk: Release in case of improper disposal.
  • Beryllium: Carcinogenic. Lung disease (beryllicosis). Accident risk: Inhalation of beryllium dust.

The list could go on and on. It shows how important it is for people involved in the storage and transportation of e-waste to be very familiar with the exact composition of the dangerous goods and the respective precautions to be taken when handling the materials.

Instructions for the safe transport and storage of dangerous goods electrical waste

Proper storage and transportation of e-waste is crucial to avoid environmental and personal damage. Secure lockable containers should be used, batteries should be removed and storage areas should be protected from moisture and direct sunlight. Hazard symbols and appropriate warnings are required. And, of course, a correct declaration of the goods is not only mandatory, but also essential to avoid disasters following accidents. The extremely complex chemical and physical composition of electronic waste alone testifies to the hazardous nature of these goods. When transporting, it is advisable to work with licensed transport companies that have the necessary experience in handling these dangerous goods.

In the following, I would like to summarize some specific tips for the safe handling of electronic waste in the logistics process.

Tips for the safe storage of electronic waste

  1. The storage location for e-waste should be separate from other types of waste to avoid cross-contamination.
  2. Ensure that the storage area is well ventilated and dry. High humidity and poor ventilation can cause the electrical waste to decompose and result in dangerous leaks.
  3. Make sure that the storage area is protected from rain, direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. If e-waste is exposed to these elements, it can decompose and release toxic substances.
  4. If the storage area is outdoors, use tarpaulins or covers to protect the e-waste from the weather.
  5. Use containers made of durable materials that are resistant to moisture and corrosion.
  6. Label each container clearly with “e-waste” and indicate the contents. This will help with the identification and sorting of e-waste for recycling.
  7. Store electronic waste in an orderly manner. Do not stack items to avoid crushing and damage. Store smaller items on shelves or racks.
  8. Arrange the items so that they are easily accessible for stock checks and transportation.
  9. Keep a detailed inventory of all stored e-waste parts. Record information such as type of item, quantity, storage date and condition.
  10. Carry out regular checks to ensure that the inventory is correct and to check the condition of stored items.
  11. If possible, remove batteries from appliances to prevent leakage and reduce the risk of fire.
  12. Store batteries separately in containers for dangerous goods.
  13. Special precautions must be taken with lithium batteries as they can easily catch fire. Store them in cool, dry places out of direct sunlight.

Tips for the safe transportation of electronic waste

  1. Create a regular schedule for the transportation of e-waste to avoid the accumulation of large amounts of waste. Coordinate with recycling companies to ensure timely collection.
  2. Prepare all necessary documentation and permits for the transportation of e-waste, including manifests, bills of lading and hazardous waste permits.
  3. Use licensed and insured transport companies that specialize in electronic waste. They have the necessary knowledge in handling hazardous substances and complying with regulations.
  4. Choose transportation companies with a good reputation and a proven track record.
  5. Use cushioning materials such as bubble wrap, foam or cardboard to protect fragile items during transportation.
  6. Pack e-waste in sealed containers to prevent leakage and exposure. Ensure that the containers are not overfilled to prevent damage.
  7. Label all packages clearly with “electronic waste” and provide details of the contents and any handling instructions. This will ensure proper handling by the handlers and transporters.
  8. Add appropriate hazard symbols and warnings.
  9. Familiarize yourself with the local, national and international regulations for the transportation of e-waste. Ensure that all activities comply with these laws.
  10. Keep all necessary documents to hand during transportation. This includes permits, licenses and manifests.
  11. Use GPS tracking systems to monitor the movement of e-waste shipments in real time. This allows you to ensure that the waste arrives safely at its destination.
  12. Maintain chain of custody documentation to track who handles the e-waste at each stage of the transportation process.

You don’t have to do all this yourself. The logistics of dangerous goods is a matter for experts. Leschaco will be happy to advise you on the logistics of electronic waste.

What legal regulations are there worldwide that are important for the transportation and storage of electronic waste?

Numerous legal regulations exist worldwide for the control and disposal of electronic waste, including the EU Directive on WasteElectrical and ElectronicEquipment (WEEE). For example, the WEEE obliges member states to collect, treat and recycle electronic waste. The EU has high recycling rates, but implementation varies from member state to member state. In the USA, there is no standardized nationwide regulation. Some states, such as California, have strict laws, while others are less regulated, leading to inconsistencies. China has introduced guidelines to prevent pollution from e-waste and bans the import of e-waste. However, the implementation of these laws is a huge and difficult challenge to master due to the size of the country and the informal sector. India has the E-Waste (Management) Rules, which oblige manufacturers to take back and recycle. However, integrating informal recyclers into formal systems remains difficult.

The EU is considered a pioneer when it comes to the effectiveness of legislation, followed by countries with strict regional regulations such as California. Countries with large informal sectors, such as India and China, are struggling with implementation despite legal regulations.

A major problem: the illegal transportation of electronic waste

Unfortunately, electronic waste is often exported with false declarations. Goods are declared as “used goods” and exported to Africa and South East Asia in particular. In reality, however, this is falsely declared electronic waste. The owners want to avoid the costs of proper scrapping or safe recycling in the countries of origin. In the destination countries, the old appliances then end up in uncontrolled landfill sites where they are dismantled in an uncontrolled manner – often by children. Some recyclable materials are recycled, but most of the metals remain in the waste and sooner or later end up uncontrolled as toxic substances in the environment.

The industrialized countries are trying to prevent this illegal export. Europe, for example, does this by means of the Basel Convention. However, the controls are inadequate. The transportation of electronic waste is often incorrectly declared and important safety precautions are bypassed. Such shipments, which are often smuggled past customs, are confiscated time and again. For example, the seizure of more than 100 containers of e-waste by Malaysian customs in the early summer of 2024 was reported(source).

An extended notification obligation for e-waste will apply in the EU from January 1, 2025

The EU Commission has decided to significantly tighten the notification obligation for e-waste in 2022. The new regulations will come into force on January 1, 2025. While most e-waste containing hazardous substances such as asbestos, PCBs or fluorocarbons already had to be clearly declared, this notification requirement will now be extended to all waste from electrical and electronic equipment. This EU regulation is controversial in the waste management industry. Critics fear that the associated bureaucracy will not lead to an increase in the recycling rate, but will rather prevent professional recycling – at least temporarily – because the recycling industry will lack resources (source: EU Recycling Magazine 11/2024).

Summary: The three major goals in dealing with e-waste

Finally, let’s come back to the three major goals in dealing with e-waste:

Of course, the first goal is always to avoid waste: the less scrap we produce, the less we have to worry about reducing our waste. The more durable our goods are, the less waste we produce. This is a major task for society as a whole.

But let’s not fool ourselves: We live in a growth society and we are more likely to achieve ecological goals through technological progress and modern recycling than by doing without.

This is why the second goal of significantly increasing the recycling rate of e-waste will remain important. And it pays off: recycled metals are two to ten times more energy-efficient than metals smelted from untreated ore. Mining discarded electronic devices also produces 80 percent less carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gold than mining gold from the ground.

It is therefore important that we handle e-waste intelligently – just as we do with other dangerous goods. The third goal is therefore to enforce the safe storage and transportation of e-waste as dangerous goods. We must carefully and safely transport the valuable raw material e-waste from the consumer to the recycling plants. This is the challenge for modern hazardous goods logistics. This is our contribution to a modern circular vision for electronics.

Illustrations: © weerapat1003 – stock.adobe.com; © Marina – stock.adobe.com; © Michael Kausch

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