Forecast of future yield for printed circuit board resin waste generated from major household electrical and electronic equipment in China

As the biggest generator and consumer of household electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in the world, China generates a large amount of printed circuit board (PCB) resin waste during the production and scrap disposal processes of household EEE each year, yet the precise estimation of the PCB resin waste generation in China is still to be determined. In this paper, the stock-based model is applied to forecast the future generation and sources of PCB resin waste in China. Eight major types of EEE are included to calculate the generation of PCB resin waste from 1998 to 2035. Results show that there will be more than 19.67 billion EEE scrapped during the research period, and about 12.97–13.43 million tonnes of PCB resin waste will generated from the production and scrap disposal processes of EEE. Waste air conditioner, TV set, and washing machine are the major contributors of PCB resin waste. At least 568.27 thousand tonnes of PCB resin waste will be produced in 2035, accompanied by over 231.09 thousand tonnes copper and 333.55 tonnes gold. It is also found that the generation of PCB resin waste is affected by lifestyle, technological level and population policy. This study provides a reliable tool to predict the generation of PCB resin waste and other waste generated from WEEE, and offers suggestions for policy design on waste management.