ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND RECYCLING DISASSEMBLY EFFORTS IN THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY/

This paper reviews the problems that many electronics manufacturers ar e facing in a society of rules and regulations that are becoming incre asingly environmentally conscious. The effect of electronics assembly, disassembly, and disposal on the environment is reviewed, and the pot ential hazards of continuing the present trends in electronics parts d isposal is discussed. The paper contains a comprehensive survey of pre vious works related to environmentally conscious manufacturing practic es, recycling, and the complexities of disassembly in the electronics industry. Interest in this area has intensified in recent years due to an increased awareness of the problem in a world of high technology w here electronic products dominate. Industrial applications of recyclin g programs are presented and existing methodologies and evaluation sys tems are discussed. In order to promote and support this new environme ntal ethic in electronics assembly and disassembly, the need for impro ved methods of electronics reuse, minimization of life-cycle scrap, de velopment of planning tools, and an increase in research activity in t his area are also highlighted.