Considering the composition of the aforementioned predominant
components of cellular phones, it is well understood that
the environmental impact of their wastes is significantly high,
especially due to their large content in heavy metals and other hazardous
substances which, if treated improperly, can pollute air, soil
and water when they end up in incinerators or landfills (Nnorom
and Osibanjo, 2009; Geyer and Doctori Blass, 2010). The European
Union has introduced two Directives to regulate the management
of all kinds of WEEE and to ban the use of certain hazardous substances
in new EEE. The 2002/96/EC ‘‘Directive on Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment’’ (WEEE Directive) (European Commission-
WEEE Directive, 2003b), among others, recommend manufacturers
and distributors to take back EoL equipment and to achieve
proper recycling and recovery rates, motivating, at the same time,
design for environment (DfE) based on extended producer responsibility
(EPR). In addition, since July 1st, 2006, the 2002/95/EC
‘‘Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances
in electrical and electronic equipment’’ (European Commission-
RoHS Directive, 2003a) has banned the sale of new EEE
that contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent
chromium and also polybrominated biphenyl that exceed
certain concentration limits