Page 106 - 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

5.3.1.2 National management system

Step 2, Development of sustainable e-waste management systems, and Step 3 Adopt supportive
measures to facilitate a sustainable e-waste management system, of Recommendation
ITU-T L.1031 provide key information such as the principles of WEEE sustainable management
systems and the most significant management measures, as well as recommendations for the
effective implementation of the management policy. Many aspects addressed in those sections
of the Recommendation were implemented in Costa Rica before the Case Study. Sections 5.1
and 5.2 describe challenges and opportunities to improve the national system based on the
results of Recommendation ITU-T L.1031 implementation, as well as the aspects that it includes
that could be useful for the Costa Rican national system.
It is considered that part of the SINAGIRE success is due to the following:

– Having a well-established national system coordinator. This role is played by the Ministry
of Health, as the governing body on this matter.
– Having an inter-institutional and cross-sectoral committee led by the WEEE governing
body, to guarantee the development and implementation of the national system. In the
case of Costa Rica, the institutions and sectors that conform to the CEGIRE are:
• Ministry of Health
• Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications

• Ministry of Environment and Energy
• Institute for Municipal Development and Counselling
• State Universities
• Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Enterprises
• Compliance Units
• Related non-governmental organizations

– Developing participatory processes with all stakeholders involved, including grassroots
and civil society organizations, which is key to building a management system. In Costa
Rica, these processes have been up and running for more than 15 years, which has allowed
experience to be accumulated, as well as the identification of the relationships needed to
convene the managers and other project participants.
– Having robust national policies for the conservation and protection of the environment, and
being a signatory of related international treaties, have contributed to the development of
a comprehensive legislative corpus in Costa Rica for the integral management of waste.
This legislation has been the basis for WEEE regulations.
– Having solid alliances with development partners with lines of action framed in the 2030
Agenda such as UNIDO, ITU, UNEP, Basel Regional Centre for South America for Training
and Technology Transfer, and UNU, inter alia, has enabled the country to develop projects
that have allowed experience to be gained and information gathered with which to
strengthen the national system.

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