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Review
. 2021 Jan 18;9(1):13.
doi: 10.3390/toxics9010013.

Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approaches Applied to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE): A Comprehensive Literature Review

Samuele Marinello  1 , Rita Gamberini  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approaches Applied to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE): A Comprehensive Literature Review

Samuele Marinello et al. Toxics. .

Abstract

The global demand for electrical and electronic equipment has undergone continuous growth in recent years due to the effect of industrialization and technological development. This indicates substantial quantities of e-waste that need to be managed properly to reduce their environmental impact and to avoid inappropriate forms of disposal. The purpose of this paper is to review the most popular multi-criteria decision-making approaches applied to the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment, analyzing how they are used to contribute to the improvement of management strategies along the entire supply chain. For this purpose, a methodological protocol for the collection, selection, and analysis of the scientific literature was applied, identifying 44 papers on which to conduct this study. The results showed that numerous authors have developed multi-criteria approaches, with particular attention to recycling phase. The analytic hierarchy process is the most widespread multi-criteria approach, often coupled with VIKOR, DELPHI, and TOPSIS methods. The numerous decision making criteria adopted cover different reference dimensions: environmental, economic, social, technical, and legal. Considering environmental aspects also in decision making processes means enhancing the relevance of this dimension, as well as encouraging practices that reduce the impact of toxic substances on the environment and living organisms.

Keywords: decision support model; e-waste management; literature review; multi-criteria decision making; waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trend of global Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment production, overall and per capita (adaptation by the authors of the data from [11]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Supply chain structure.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Methodological steps used to develop the proposed review work.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number of papers published per year.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Number of papers published per journal.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Number of papers published per country.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Spatial distribution of the case studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. European Parliament and the Council of the European Union DIRECTIVE 2012/19/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) 2012. pp. 38–71.
    1. Parajuly K., Kuehr R., Awasthi A.K., Fitzpatrick C., Lepawsky J., Smith E., Widmer R., Zeng X. FUTURE E-WASTE SCENARIOS. StEP; Bonn, Germany: UNU ViE-SCYCLE; Bonn, Germany: UNEP IETC; Osaka, Japan: 2019.
    1. Forti V., Baldé C.P., Kuehr R. E-Waste Statistics: Guidelines on Classifications, Reporting and Indicators. United Nations University; Bonn, Germany: 2018.
    1. Pini M., Lolli F., Balugani E., Gamberini R., Neri P., Rimini B., Ferrari A.M. Preparation for reuse activity of waste electrical and electronic equipment: Environmental performance, cost externality and job creation. J. Clean. Prod. 2019;222:77–89. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.004. - DOI
    1. Islam M.T., Huda N. Reshaping WEEE management in Australia: An investigation on the untapped WEEE products. J. Clean. Prod. 2020;250:119496. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119496. - DOI

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