▁of ▁them ▁was ▁almost ▁un he ard ▁of ▁until ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 1 . ▁The ▁first ▁electronic ▁waste ▁rec y cling ▁scheme ▁was ▁implemented ▁in ▁Switzerland , ▁beginning ▁with ▁collection ▁of ▁old ▁re fr iger ators ▁but ▁gradually ▁expand ing ▁to ▁cover ▁all ▁devices . ▁After ▁these ▁schemes ▁were ▁set ▁up , ▁many ▁countries ▁did ▁not ▁have ▁the ▁capacity ▁to ▁deal ▁with ▁the ▁she er ▁quantity ▁of ▁e - w aste ▁they ▁generated ▁or ▁its ▁ha z ard ous ▁nature . ▁They ▁began ▁to ▁export ▁the ▁problem ▁to ▁developing ▁countries ▁without ▁enfor ced ▁environmental ▁legisl ation . ▁This ▁is ▁che aper , ▁as ▁rec y cling ▁computer ▁mon itors ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁costs ▁ 1 0 ▁times ▁more ▁than ▁in ▁China . ▁Dem and ▁in ▁Asia ▁for ▁electronic ▁waste ▁began ▁to ▁grow ▁when ▁sc rap ▁yards ▁found ▁that ▁they ▁could ▁extract ▁valuable ▁subst ances ▁such ▁as ▁co pper , ▁silver , ▁iron , ▁sil icon , ▁nick el , ▁and ▁gold , ▁during ▁the ▁rec y cling ▁process . ▁The ▁ 2 0 0 0 s ▁saw ▁a ▁large ▁increase ▁in ▁both ▁the ▁sale ▁of ▁electronic ▁devices ▁and ▁their ▁growth ▁as ▁a ▁waste ▁stream : ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 2 , ▁e - w aste ▁grew ▁faster ▁than ▁any ▁other ▁type ▁of ▁waste ▁in ▁the ▁EU . ▁This ▁caused ▁invest ment ▁in ▁modern , ▁autom ated ▁facilities ▁to ▁co pe ▁with ▁the ▁infl ux ▁of ▁redundant ▁app li ances , ▁especially ▁after ▁strict ▁laws ▁were ▁implemented ▁in ▁ 2