An overlooked circular resource
E-waste recycling has traditionally focused on gold, copper and other valuable metals. Yet plastics account for roughly 20-30% of many discarded electronic products. Casings, brackets, cable insulation and structural parts commonly contain engineering polymers such as ABS, polycarbonate, HIPS, polypropylene and PC/ABS blends. These materials can retain considerable value, but they are often landfilled, incinerated or burned during informal metal recovery.
The opportunity is growing. Global e-waste generation exceeded about 62 million tonnes in 2022 and continues to rise as electronic product cycles shorten. Unlike many packaging plastics, e-waste polymers are designed for strength, heat resistance and durability. With suitable separation and treatment, they can become valuable secondary raw materials rather than residual waste.
Economics favour metals, while plastics are costly to identify, separate and clean. A single device may combine several polymers, sometimes bonded or co-moulded. Producing pure streams can require near-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence or density-based separation, which is beyond the reach of many small recyclers.
Brominated flame retardants create another barrier. Restricted compounds such as PBDEs and TBBPA can exclude recovered plastics from sensitive applications and require controlled separation or treatment. Meanwhile, e-waste policies generally prioritise hazardous-substance management and metal recovery; plastic recovery is less consistently measured or mandated.
The informal sector processes an estimated 70-80% of global e-waste, particularly in developing regions. Burning plastic to recover copper can release toxic emissions while destroying recoverable material. Formalising collection and connecting informal workers to safe processing are therefore essential.
Properly sorted ABS and PC/ABS can be mechanically recycled into engineering-grade pellets for electronics housings, automotive interiors and industrial fittings. Certified bromine-free streams can command a premium because they meet broader regulatory and market requirements.
Mixed or contaminated fractions may suit chemical recycling. Pyrolysis converts suitable plastics into oils and gases for energy or chemical feedstock, while solvolysis can depolymerise polycarbonate and recover bisphenol A for producing new material. E-waste plastics can also be compounded with wood flour, glass fibre or fly ash for decking, panels and non-structural automotive components.
Additional value may come from recovering flame retardants for controlled handling and installing small extrusion or compounding units near established collection hubs. Such decentralised systems can reduce transport costs and capture material before it is burned or dumped.
E-waste plastics sit between two policy areas: electronics recycling concentrates on metals, while plastic circularity programmes focus mainly on packaging. Closing this gap requires traceable collection, polymer identification, flame-retardant screening, verified clean-resin supply chains and investment in mechanical and chemical recycling. The technology largely exists; the priority is building commercially viable systems that integrate informal collectors and treat plastic as a resource in its own right.