New Approaches to Recycling Plastic E-Waste

The article deals with the utilization of plastic waste generated after the disassembly of used fragments of computer equipment and household electronic devices. The application of vermiculture (earthworm culture) and vermicomposting (waste recycling) is proposed. The results of experiments to study the effect of different doses of plastic on the life activity of earthworms in the process of vermicomposting are presented. The studies were conducted in plastic containers of 500 mL volume, where 10 sexually mature individuals of Eisenia andrei (total average mass 3.2±0.3 g) were placed with 250 g of organic substrate. Analysis of changes in population parameters of Eisenia andrei worms showed that when microplastic was used in composted substrate, 1 % earthworm fecundity decreased insignificantly compared to control. However, when the microplastic content was increased to 10 %, the growth of the new generation was reduced by almost 33.3 %. No substrate avoidance reaction (going to the substrate surface) was observed when microplastic was added at a concentration of 1 to 5 % of the total substrate mass. In 14 days after the beginning of the experiment, all worms in both experimental and control conditions remained alive and mobile. However, when the concentration of microplastic increased to 10 %, the individuals began to lead a sedentary life. However, successfully mating worms were observed in the containers, which indicates a sufficiently favourable external background for the existence of this species.