Consumption, Use and Disposal Patterns of Electronic Devices in a Distinctive Urban Mine in Mar del Plata, Argentina

Abstract

The production of electronic devices, based on the exploitation of non-renewable resources, requires novel strategies for the efficient recovery of valuable materials contained in the e-waste stream. To conceive the local management of these particular resources in a decentralized way, the patterns of consumption, use and disposal of electronic devices were analyzed in a higher-level educational institution, the National University of Mar del Plata in Argentina, considered as a Distinctive Urban Mine (DUM). A quantitative methodology was developed by distributing a self-administered survey on a sample of 400 university students, statistically distributed among the different faculties. The instrument was divided into the stages that condition the postconsumption paths of electronic waste in Mar del Plata city. Each phase – consumption, use and disposal of electronic devices – was analyzed based on the variables of habits, information and valorization. The main results highlight the socio-cultural factors that characterize this particular DUM as replacement cycles of electronic devices, estimated between two to four years, in relation to the lack of maintenance, and valorization in terms of price and durability. It is the first study that makes a contribution on e-waste based on quantitative data on the territory of Mar del Plata. The conclusions emphasize the correlations between stages, which can be effectively measured and conducted to improve the variables to manage DUM sustainably.