Page 10 - Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Latin America Current situation and outlook

Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in
Latin America: Current situation and outlook

Introduction

Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is now present in almost every area of human activity,
making daily life easier and more comfortable, and improving health and safety. Technological
innovations are constant and frequent, leading to this type of equipment being replaced more
often. According to Juchneski and Antunes (2022), EEE manufacturers are adopting circular
production chains in order to create more efficient, longer-lasting devices. However, years ago,
competitive pressures and access to new markets resulted in the production of cheaper but less
durable, less repairable, and less valuable devices; these devices are still in use or can be found
in the inventories of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) awaiting management.

According to the Global E-Waste Monitor (Baldé et al., 2024), EEE contains all the materials
found on Earth, including metals, polymers and ceramics. These materials include critical metals
and minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and rare earth elements.
These resources are non-renewable, and demand for them has grown significantly due to
the development of clean energy applications, according to the International Energy Agency
(2025). However, the supply of these raw materials also poses risks: investment in minerals grew
by only 5 per cent in 2023, compared with previous years, financing for start-ups slowed, and
exploration for new deposits stagnated in 2024, leading to market concentration rather than
the diversification required for security of supply (International Energy Agency, 2025).

The high consumption of EEE, technological obsolescence and shorter product lifecycles has
led to an increase in WEEE generation at a rate similar to that of EEE consumption. However, the
global rate of e-waste collection and recycling is not keeping pace with this increase; collection
and recycling are insufficient, particularly in developing countries. According to the Global
E-waste Monitor (2024), 62 million tonnes of electronic waste were generated in 2022 (an
average of 7.8 kg per capita), but only 13.8 million tonnes were collected and recycled in
an environmentally documented manner through official systems. 16.0 million tonnes were
collected by informal systems in high- and upper-middle-income countries, while 18.0 million
tonnes were processed by the informal sector in low- and lower-middle-income countries with
poor management infrastructure. The remaining 14.0 million tonnes were deposited in landfills
or dumps or leaked into other types of inadequate disposal sites.

The Global E-Waste Monitor (Baldé et al., 2024) also indicates that at the end of 2024, only
82 countries (42%) worldwide had regulations, legislation, or rules related to the integral
management of WEEE. Of the 82 countries, 67 have legally binding extended producer
responsibility (EPR) schemes.

In 2022, the Americas produced 14 million kg of WEEE, equivalent to 14.1 kg per person.
However, only 30 per cent of this waste was collected and recycled. Of the 36 countries analysed
in this region, 12 have WEEE legislation, nine incorporate Extended Producer Responsibility
(EPR), and four have collection targets for this waste. The countries with the highest WEEE
generation rates on the continent were the United States (7.2 billion kg), Brazil (2.4 billion kg),
and Mexico (1.5 billion kg). The United States and Aruba had the highest per capita generation
rates (21 kg per person), followed by Canada and Puerto Rico (20 kg per person). (Baldé et
al., 2024)

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