Page 91 - 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

Figure 61 - Percentage distribution of tracers by Customs Office at which imports
are reported

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of
any opinion whatsoever on the part of ITU or its Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or
area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

4 Recommendation ITU-T L.1032 implementation

Recommendation ITU-T L.1032 “Guidelines and certification schemes for e-waste recyclers” aims
to strengthen the informal sector of waste recyclers. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic,
health measures have been put in place that restricted many activities in the country. This
precluded working with the informal sector as initial contacts were necessary for coordination
purposes. For this reason, it was decided to work with managers registered with the Ministry of
Health, since their points of contact were known, making coordination easier. Care was taken
to ensure the representation of micro, small, medium-sized and large enterprises involved in
WEEE recovery and dismantling.

As indicated above, the initial work plan for the implementation of Recommendation
ITU-T L.1032 required visits to several waste managers accompanied by officials from the Costa
Rican Ministry of Health as the waste management governing body. The objective of the visits
was to get to know the conditions under which they operate and to verify compliance with
national legislation, as well as to check whether they have adopted the safety and environmental
measures suggested in Recommendation ITU-T L.1032

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Ministerial Resolution was issued ordering Ministry of
Health officials not to visit the administered entities, except in special cases. This had the aim

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