Data Mining for Urban Mining: The Case Study of E-Waste Management Organizations in Brazil

Abstract

Electronic waste (WEEE or e-waste) represents a potential risk to human and environmental health, for the most part of the potential impact, especially the presence of hazardous substances in its composition, such as lead, chromium, cadmium and flame retardants, for example. (Xavier and Carvalho, 2014). The Brazilian Solid Waste Policy (BSWP), established by Law 12,305 of 2010 (BRAZIL, 2010), defines the requirements for the implementation of reverse logistics systems (RLS) for different production areas. The RLS is characterized as a socioeconomic instrument for the management of end-of-life products that are reinserted into supply chains as secondary raw material. According to Awasthi et al. (2018), a generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment is a process that is growing all over the world. Brazil produced about 1.5 million tons of e-waste in 2016, being the second largest energy producer in Americas. In the same year, the United States generated 6.3 million tons of e-waste (Baldé et al., 2017). Through the gathering and analysis of data we carried out an extensive study and we elaborated a data base containing 130 organizations that operate in e-waste management in Brazil. From this study, we proposed the categorization in classes based on indicators such as the National Economic Activity Index (CNAE) and the Nice Classification System (NCL). Comparing the six categories proposed by Directive WEEE, we identified the optimal set for the management of e-waste in Brazil. The framework that resulted from the analysis shows a great diversity of categories that can be optimized in order to make the e-waste management in the country more efficient.

Keywords: Solid waste management, Circular economy, Urban mining, E-waste, WEEE

JEL Classification: L86; O54; Q6