e-waste case study

Daniel DesLauriersCase Study ManualDecember 2009

The Problem:

The problem is that our old, broken, used,

electronics are shipped to foreign dumping

grounds where they pose major health haz-

ards. These recycled electronics contain: lead,

cadmium, mercury, beryllium and other chem-

icals that can cause brain damage, cancers,

and kidney disease.

Proposed Solution:

Banning the export of hazardous waste.

Companies should provide rebates, which

allow the customers to exchange their old

products when purchasing new ones.

Table of Contents:

Concept: Proposal Research Statistical Data Personas and Scenarios

Process Wireframes Initial Graphic Models

Solution Final Design Elements Final Graphic Models Applications of Graphic Models

Conclusion Explanation of Solution

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c o n c e p t :

ProposalIssue: Each year companies are coming out with electronic prod-ucts that are better than their last. Products such as T V ’s, computers, cell phones and other gizmos are becoming the countries fastest growing waste stream.

Problem: The problem is that our old, broken, used, electronics are shipped to foreign dumping grounds where they pose ma-jor health hazards. These recycled electronics contain: lead, cadmium, mercury, beryll ium and other chemicals that can cause brain damage, cancers, and kidney disease.

Solution:Banning the export of hazardous waste. Companies should provide rebates, which allow the customers to exchange their old products when purchasing new ones.

Research Methods: I wil l research exactly how much each of these computers contain hazardous chemicals. Find out which countries are getting dumped on and what effects it is causing.

Data Gathering Methods: My methods will f irst come from online articles about the issue. Gathering Information from manufacturers, to see how they go about e -waste recycling.

Research

The Basel Action Network (BAN) at http://www.ban.org

The eWaste Guide, a knowledge base for the sustainable recycling of eWaste at http://www.ewaste.ch

US Environmental Protection Agency at http://www.epa.gov

http://www.step-initiative.org/initiative/what-is-e -waste.php

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Statistical Data

“Facts and Figures on E-Waste and Rec ycling”•More than 500 mill ion computers will become obsolete in the USA alone between the years 1997 and 2007. 130 mil-l ion cellular phones will be discarded in the USA by the year 2005, resulting in 65000 tonnes of phone waste (BAN 2004). 610 mill ion mobile phones are to be disposed of in Japan by 2010 (Uryu et al. 2003). every year, an EU citizen leaves behind 25 kg of e -waste (SECO & EMPA 2003). 20 to 50 mill ion tonnes of e -waste are generated per year world-wide.

E-waste is a term used to cover almost all types of electrical and electronic equipment that has or could enter the waste stream.

Personas and Scenarios

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p r o c e s s :

Wireframes

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Initial Graphic Models

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Final Design Elements

s o l u t i o n :

callfrom...

expo rt of hazardous

wast e

statistical data

the e -waste solutio n

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Final Graphic Models

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recycleddisposed

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Applications for Graphic Models

poster

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brochure

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webpage

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c o n c l u s i o n :

Explanation of Solution

The design solution for the poster is to attract the society, make the people recognize, connect, and listen. I did this by creating a poster set in the fashion of a desktop screen on a computer, which everyone who uses electronics has seen before. The reason for the background to look l ike a screen was to make people want to engage and understand what ’s going. I used large bold font, to lead the eye to-ward the map which is designed to easily direct the viewer and teach the viewer the issues of e -waste. For the map I had shown different points as to where e -waste was being dumped and how it was leaving the U.S. The map includes how much is being dumped and percentages as to what cit-ies or countries are recieving the most waste. The viewer is then lead toward the different icon on the dock that show the different devices considered e -waste and then to more information on the subject.

For the brochure, it ’s designed for manufacturers to place with each of their electronics. I t ’s a brochure and a rebate for the customers e -waste products. I t ’s designed to al-low people to be able to return their product back to their manufaturer free of charge. The brochure also i l lustrate the problem, with a chart that describes how many products are trashed compared to how many are recycled. Then leads toward a solution which is the rebate and a timeline show-ing the recycling process.

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The website is designed for everyone, as a source to get the information out about the problem with e -waste and what can be done. I t is a simple design that allows the viewer to scroll around noticing the different graphs, maps, and timelines that help instruct them about e -waste.