Material Flow Analysis of Electronic Waste Management for Sustainable Urban Resource Management in Gazipur City Bangladesh

Every year, the world generates a staggering amount of discarded electronics, from broken refrigerators to outdated mobile phones. This stream of waste, known as electronic waste or e-waste, presents a dual challenge: it contains valuable materials like copper and gold that could be reused, but it also holds dangerous substances like lead and mercury that can poison the soil and air if not handled correctly. In many developing nations, the task of managing this waste falls not to large, regulated factories, but to a vast network of informal workers. These individuals, often working without protective gear or proper facilities, manually dismantle devices to salvage what they can sell, a process that frequently releases toxic fumes and leaves hazardous residue behind. Understanding exactly how much waste is created, where it comes from, and where it ends up is the first step toward turning this environmental hazard into a sustainable resource.

In the bustling industrial city of Gazipur, Bangladesh, a team of researchers set out to map this invisible flow of discarded technology. They focused on the city's electronic waste to understand the scale of the problem and the mechanics of how it moves from homes to landfills or recycling sites. Using a method called material flow analysis, which tracks the movement of materials through a system like water flowing through pipes, the team combined data from hundreds of household surveys, interviews with scrap dealers and repair workers, and direct observations of how waste is actually handled on the ground. They wanted to see the full picture: how much waste is generated, what types of items are thrown away most often, and whether the current system is recovering valuable resources or simply spreading pollution.

The researchers found that in 2024, Gazipur generated approximately 6,245.21 tonnes of electronic waste. This amount translates to about 2.43 kilograms per person each year. While this figure is significantly lower than the average in wealthy nations, it represents a massive volume of material for a single city. The study revealed that the bulk of this waste comes from households, which account for nearly all of the total. The heaviest contributors are large appliances, particularly refrigerators, which make up the largest share of the waste by weight, followed by televisions and microwave ovens. While smaller items like mobile phones are replaced more frequently, they do not contribute as much to the total weight of the waste stream because they are much lighter.

Despite the sheer volume of waste, the system managing it is largely informal and unregulated. The study showed that nearly half of the electronic waste in Gazipur is either mixed in with regular household trash or collected by informal scrap dealers who operate outside of any official environmental safety rules. These informal collectors, often known locally as bhangari shop owners, play a critical role in gathering discarded items, but their methods are often hazardous. They frequently dismantle devices by hand, burn insulated wires to extract copper, and leave toxic residues to be dumped without treatment. This approach exposes workers and nearby communities to dangerous chemicals and ensures that a significant portion of valuable materials is lost or contaminated beyond recovery.

The researchers also looked ahead to see what might happen if current trends continue. If the city's population and electronic consumption keep growing at the current pace, the amount of waste could skyrocket to over 143,000 tonnes per year by 2041. This projection suggests that the current informal system, which is already struggling to handle the existing volume, will be completely overwhelmed without significant changes. The study argues that relying on the informal sector alone is no longer a viable strategy for a city of this size and industrial importance.

To address these challenges, the authors propose a shift toward a more organized approach that integrates the informal workers into a regulated system rather than trying to replace them entirely. They suggest that the city needs to build formal collection points where residents can drop off old electronics safely. Furthermore, they recommend implementing a policy known as extended producer responsibility, which would require the companies that make these products to take financial and operational responsibility for managing them once they are discarded. By bringing the informal scrap dealers into a regulated network and providing them with better training and safety equipment, the city could recover more valuable materials while protecting the health of its workers and residents. The study concludes that without these improvements, the growing mountain of electronic waste will continue to pose a serious threat to the environment and public health, turning a potential resource into a lasting liability.