The number of computers alone that will be disposed of between 1985 and 2005 is estimated at more than 325 million.
Electronic equipment is manufactured using a mix of materials such as metals, plastics, and glass.
Recycling of electronic equipment is driven, primarily, by the value of the remaining useful components and the precious metals. As many as ten different types of polymers are often used in electronic equipment. Because of the incompatibilities among the various types of thermoplastic polymers, they must be recovered at high purity to preserve their value. In 1995, more than 1.6 billion pounds of thermoplastics were used in electronic equipment manufacturing. Currently available technologies for recovering and separating plastics from obsolete electronic equipment are not cost effective andas a result, the plastics end up in landfills.