3.2 Gems E-waste
E-waste usually contains various precious metals which are of high economic value thereby turning recycling of these wastes into an economic opportunity. [12] The gems include gold and silver which are good conductors of electricity and commonly found in printed circuit boards. Germanium, indium and gallium are needed in semiconductor devices. There are tin and lead that are useful for soldering and coating of component leads. Mercury serves a useful purpose in fluorescent tubes. Aluminium, being a good conductor is a good heat sink while zinc is used in paintings for steel parts. [4][13]
3.3 Informal and Formal Recycling
Recycling of e-waste is done in both formal and informal ways. Informal recycling is found more in developing countries and usually involves large workforce requiring manual operation and intensive labour. Though it is a profitable e-waste management method, it lacks skills and technologies to manage e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner and substantial resource recovery. [14][15]