Page 104 - Implementation of ITU-T international standards for sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment: The path to a circular economy in Costa Rica

Implementation of ITU-T international standards for sustainable management of waste
electrical and electronic equipment: The path to a circular economy in Costa Rica

– Use the recovery rates gathered in the study as a basis for setting up national recovery
targets. Currently, small IT, flat-panel monitors and printers exceed a 10 per cent recovery
ratio.
– Validate, together with INEC, the sub-indicator for indicator 12.5.1 of target 12.5 within
SDG 12 proposed in the study, to include it in the next Voluntary National Report on the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
– Incorporate into the Take Back Centres for Waste Recovery Regulations (ED 41052) the
environmental and occupational health and safety measures of Recommendation ITU-T
L.1032, not currently covered.
– Verify that managers implement the measures set out in the Take-Back Centres for
Waste Recovery Regulations (ED 41052). An alternative way to do this is to supplement
the tool used by the Ministry of Health in its monitoring visits with a guide or checklist.
– Update the Technical Guide for Integral Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment, Ministerial Directive N° DM-CB-8016-2016, with the environmental and
occupational health and safety measures included in Recommendation ITU-T L.1032
and Executive Decree 41052 Take-Back Centres for Waste Recovery Regulations.
– Develop a strategy to identify and accompany informal WEEE managers to improve their
practices to be respectful of the environment and the safety of employees, which would
allow them to formalize their activities within the national system.
– Develop a training programme for WEEE managers covering topics on national
regulations, WEEE sustainable management, environmental, occupational health and
safety measures, as well as the management system based on INTE G8:2013.
– Develop a management system implementation plan based on INTE G8:2013 to
accompany SME-type waste managers.
– Evaluate the possibility of incorporating the Directorate General of Customs (DGA) and
the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) into CEGIRE. The DGA provides
baseline information for waste inventories, including WEEE, and material flows and
balances. It is also possible to deepen further the material balances with information from
the annual ENAHO conducted by INEC.

5.3 Lessons learned: recommendations to countries to develop a
WEEE sustainable management system

It has become evident in the Case Study that Costa Rica has been working steadily on the WEEE
management system for more than a decade. This robustness has made it possible to achieve
the above-mentioned objectives on the implementation of Recommendations ITU-T L.1031
and ITU-T L.1032.
Considering the accumulated experience, below there follows a set of recommendations for
countries that wish to launch or strengthen their WEEE management system, for which they
should develop a WEEE inventory and identify the material flows and balances.

5 3 1 Recommendation ITU-T L 1031

5.3.1.1 Inventory and material flows
– Generate exchange spaces with national institutions that have the information required for
the study. In the case of Costa Rica, the related institutions that already interact and have
forged strong alliances, some of which are part of CEGIRE, are the following:

• Ministry of Health
• Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications

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