Every year, millions of tonnes of old electronics pile up, from smartphones and laptops to industrial machinery and household appliances. At the heart of these discarded devices are printed circuit boards (PCBs) — complex, multi-layered components containing precious metals, hazardous chemicals, and non-recyclable materials. If not properly managed, waste PCBs (WPCBs) become a toxic burden on the environment.
For island communities, the challenge is even greater. A new study from Concordia University, in Canada [45.5°N, 73.6°W] explores the best ways to handle WPCBs in isolated regions, using British Columbia as a case study. The findings are highly relevant to Northern Europe as well, where island and coastal communities struggle with e-waste disposal. The research highlights the best and worst ways to manage WPCBs — with major implications for sustainability, the circular economy, and responsible technology use.
What Happens to Our Old Circuit Boards?
When electronics reach the end of their life, circuit boards are often sent to landfills, incinerated, or exported. But WPCBs contain valuable materials like gold, copper, and silver, alongside toxic substances such as lead, brominated flame retardants, and dioxins. Without proper handling, these materials contaminate soil, air, and water, posing risks to both ecosystems and human health.
The study compared four different waste management approaches:
- Mechanical separation and metal recovery, with landfilling of non-metallic fractions
- Mechanical separation and metal recovery, with incineration of non-metallic fractions
- Direct incineration of entire WPCBs
- Direct landfilling of entire WPCBs
The results were clear: Recovering metals before disposal is by far the best option, while direct incineration and landfilling are the worst.
The Best Approach — Recycling for a Circular Economy
The most sustainable method (scenario 1) involves:
- Recovering valuable metals such as copper, gold, silver, and iron
- Landfilling only non-metallic fractions, reducing overall waste volume
- Minimising greenhouse gas emissions, lowering the carbon footprint by 4.7 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of WPCBs
This method is not only better for the environment but also financially viable, generating economic returns from metal recovery.
The Worst Approaches — Landfills and Incineration
At the other extreme, direct incineration (scenario 3) was the most damaging, releasing up to 2.75 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of WPCBs while producing toxic air pollutants. Direct landfilling (scenario 4) was nearly as bad, causing heavy metal contamination and wasting valuable resources.
These results have major implications for both Canada and Northern Europe, where landfill space is increasingly scarce, and incineration is still widely used.
What This Means for Northern Europe and Canada
For countries committed to circular economy principles, this study offers key takeaways:
- Metal recovery must be prioritised
- WPCBs contain high-value materials worth billions annually. Recycling them reduces pressure on mining and lowers emissions.
- Many Northern European countries already have strong e-waste recycling policies, but implementation gaps remain — especially in remote areas.
- Island and coastal communities need better waste solutions
- In Canada’s island communities, WPCBs are often stockpiled due to high transport costs or burned illegally.
- In Scandinavian archipelagos, Scotland’s islands, and the North Sea region, e-waste collection is challenging, and long-distance transport for recycling is expensive.
- Local recycling infrastructure is needed to reduce reliance on exporting e-waste.
- Incineration should not be the default solution
- While waste-to-energy plants are common in Northern Europe, burning WPCBs releases highly toxic compounds.
- Even with energy recovery, the environmental damage outweighs the benefits.
- A shift towards producer responsibility is needed
- Electronics manufacturers must design products for easier recycling.
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, already strong in Europe, should be expanded in Canada, ensuring that companies take back old electronics.
Time to Act — A Smarter Way to Handle E-Waste
Technology is evolving at breakneck speed, but our e-waste systems are lagging behind. Without urgent action, landfills and incinerators will continue wasting valuable materials and poisoning ecosystems.
The solution is clear: Recover metals, improve recycling systems, and stop relying on incineration and landfilling. Whether in Canada’s remote islands or Northern Europe’s coastal communities, the path forward is the same — build a circular economy where nothing goes to waste.
Source
Ziyu Wang, Linxiang Lyu, Guohe Huang, Boyang Hu, Chunjiang An, Life Cycle-Based Environmental, Social, and Economic Assessment of Waste Printed Circuit Board Management in Isolated Island Areas: A Case Study in British Columbia, Canada, Environmental Development, 2025-02-24
Boˆreal 