Waste PCB/FPC

The increasing amount of electronic waste (e-waste) has placed significant burdens on society and the environment, particularly with regards to waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) and Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC), which are essential in electronics manufacturing.

The manufacturing process for printed circuit boards is a difficult and complex series of operations. Due to the complexity of the process, various wastes are generated during PCB manufacturing, such as copper clad, tin/lead dross, resistor and ink.

Consequently, these spent solutions are characterized as hazardous wastes and subjected to tight environmental regulations. 

However, the copper part of the board is completely recyclable as metallic material. Recycling PCB helps reduce depletion of natural resources such as copper, as processors often reuse these boards multiple times. 

In addition, because of the excessive use of circuit boards in electronic manufacturing industries, recycling printed circuit boards reduces solid waste, landfill and land pollution.