Page 14 - 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

Figure 2: Key players in national WEEE management systems, based on the experience
of countries participating in the PREAL Project

Source: Own elaboration (2025)

A key element to be designed is the collection system, which must be efficient and must cover
all the stages of management shown in Figure 3. A collection system is a legally constituted
operational structure that enables EPR to be implemented, thereby ensuring the environmentally
safe collection and management of WEEE throughout the management chain. The legal
framework must cover all aspects related to the formation, operation, evaluation, monitoring
and control of the system. (Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia,
2023)

Figure 3: Operational stages for WEEE management

Source: (United Nations University, 2018)

Consumers are directly responsible for preventing and reducing waste, as well as for managing
waste flows properly within the national WEEE management system. In this context, it is essential
to implement communication and awareness-raising strategies that promote informed and
responsible consumption, as well as the proper management of WEEE.

Another element of the management system is traceability information. In order to monitor
and trace WEEE flows, it is essential to have information that allows for this, so countries must
develop a system that enables the collection of such information.

National regulatory bodies must monitor and control the management system to assess
the effectiveness of the proposed measures, make decisions to refine the system based on
continuous improvement, and audit the activities of collection systems and management
companies, among other things. This information is also useful for estimating performance
indicators.

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