ABSTRACT
Institute of Engineering, Coordination of Environmental Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Post Box 70-472, Coyoacán 04510, Mexico, D. F. Mexico *Corresponding author. E-mail: nrov@iingen.unam.mx
ABSTRACT
A large number of academic and administrative staff works at universities and research centers. In their daily activities, they use computers, printers, and multifunctional devices. At the end of their service life or because of obsolescence, some of them become waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It they are not appropriately disposed off, they can release pollutants, such as heavy metals and organic and inorganic compounds, pollute the environment, and affect public health. Thus, the aim of this study is to propose techniques for reusing and recycling them to help prevent waste generation and reduce environmental pollution. In order to fulfill the proposed objective, the methodology was divided into four stages: in the first stage, the state of the art of the WEEE was analyzed; in the second phase, the study area was delimited, while sampling and a generation study were performed in the third stage. Finally, a SWOT analysis and a prospective analysis were conducted in the fourth stage. The results showed that, globally, the two institutions (the Institute of Engineering, IE and the College of Engineering of UNAM) generated 1829 devices in 6 months (the IE generating the main part), mostly CPUs and keyboards and to a lesser extent, projectors. Video cameras, videoconference equipment, sound equipment, photocopiers, regulators, scanners, printers, laptops, monitors, and mice were also among the WEEE generated at those institutions. It is worth mentioning that most WEEE could be reused. It is urgent to disclose these results to raise awareness in the university community and establish plans for preventing the generation of theses wastes.
