Page 68 - Implementation of the ITU-T International Standards for the Sustainable Management of Electrical and Electronic Equipment: On the road to a circular economy in Argentina

Implementation of the ITU-T International Standards for the Sustainable Management of
Electrical and Electronic Equipment: On the road to a circular economy in Argentina

Although Argentina has enacted laws governing waste management, including household
waste legislation (Act 25.916) and hazardous waste (Act 24.051), the country does not have a
specific law at the national level for the management of WEEE. This aspect has been mentioned
by the players as one of the major problems.

Regulations related to Act 25.916, which aims to deepen into the different organizations that
participate in household waste management and particularly in special waste of universal
generation (REGU), has been a milestone of the PREAL project in Argentina, as it adopts
principles such as the Extended Producer Responsibility, addresses the basics of the Circular
Economy and provides for the creation of specific programmes per EEE stream, covering all
kind of WEEE. Based on Decree 779/2022, the proposed waste recovery programmes also seek
the inclusion of urban waste collectors in the recovery activity of household waste fractions, thus
promoting their integration into the market in the post-consumption phase. The regulations
provide for the implementation of integral communication plans, awareness raising, and
environmental education campaigns to promote the proper segregation of household waste
throughout the country, which will contribute to the sustainable management of WEEE.

In this Case Study, the issues of the high costs of WEEE management, the need to raise awareness
and commitment of consumers as well as the strengthening of the communication chains with
WEEE generators and WEEE managers have been identified.

The high degree of commitment and interest in the proper management of WEEE by the players
is noteworthy; consequently, the need to implement widespread actions at governmental level
to promote such services is clear. The degree of knowledge on the environmental implications
of inadequate final disposal of WEEE is also highlighted, as is the knowledge of those WEEE
components that require special treatment when discarded.

Other problems of WEEE management in the country are the high management costs and the
lack of fiscal incentives.

The implementation of ITU-T L.1031 standard "Guideline for achieving the e-waste targets
of the Connect 2030 Agenda" will allow Argentina to improve its existing system and build a
more robust one, since critical issues and specific opportunities for improvement that can be
tackled in the short and medium term have been identified. The analysis of the Guideline, as
well as the information generated in the pilot, as well as the lack of it, will make it possible to
optimize the implementation of the existing relevant national public policies, thus being able
to set recovery targets to make it possible to evaluate the current and future national system.

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