E-waste Impact Calculator
Multiply a device count by lifecycle and recyclable-mass factors you enter.
Inputs and method
Each displayed scenario is quantity × its entered per-device factor.
All empirical factors, rates, percentages, clearances, product yields, and model values shown as inputs are scenario values supplied by you. Their source or measurement basis appears beside the inputs and result. Units remain visible, calculations use unrounded values, and rounding occurs only for display or a whole-package ceiling.
Interpreting the result
The worksheet supplies no device, toxic-material, pollution, recycling, or lifecycle coefficient. Use a pinned dataset row and boundary. For other waste-scenario tools, see the Plastic Footprint Calculator and Composting Impact Calculator; the electricity side of the same devices is covered by the Home Energy Efficiency Calculator.
Treat scenario ranges as sensitivity ranges, not confidence intervals. Check the factor’s version, geography, population or product, system boundary, and date before using the result. A finite arithmetic result does not establish code compliance, certification, safety, forecast accuracy, or model validity.
Validation and rounding
The calculator rejects blank required factors, invalid numeric, prohibited negatives, impossible relationships, and unsupported modes. No malformed value silently selects another branch. Continuous outputs use the precision displayed in the result; package quantities round up only after waste is applied.
Worked example
For 2 devices and entered factors of 50 kg CO₂e/device and 4 kg/device, the scenarios are 100.0 kg CO₂e and 8.0 kg.
Frequently asked question
Does recyclable mass equal recovered material? No. It is quantity times an entered dataset factor, not a recovery forecast.
Sources
- U.S. EPA, “Electronics Donation and Recycling” — current web edition; donation and recycling overview, accessed 2026-07-09. Route-specific boundary: context and terminology only; it does not supply an entered coefficient, uncertainty, recommendation, or approval.
- U.S. EPA, “Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data” — current web edition; consumer-electronics data section, accessed 2026-07-09. Route-specific boundary: context and terminology only; it does not supply an entered coefficient, uncertainty, recommendation, or approval.
- U.S. EIA, “Electricity and the Environment” — current web edition; environmental-effects overview, accessed 2026-07-09. Route-specific boundary: context and terminology only; it does not supply an entered coefficient, uncertainty, recommendation, or approval.