Page 47 - 2016 Integrated management and disposal of electrical and electronic waste and used electrical and electronic equipment in Latin America

8. Turning the challenge of e-waste management into an opportunity

The challenges that Latin America faces impeding the sustainable
environmental management of e-waste were described in Section 6.
This section will focus on turning these challenges into an opportunity
for the region’s future. As previously noted, among the identified
regional challenges are: (i) the lack of specific legal frameworks
around e-waste; (ii) the difficulty of implementing the EPR principle
as a state policy; and (iii) the general lack of knowledge about the risks
and opportunities that can be generated. Furthermore, additional
challenges are associated with the environmental management of e-
waste, such as: (iv) inherent environmental and social risks of
disordered management processes and uncontrolled supply chains;
(v) insufficient availability of technology for proper e-waste
management; and (vi) lack of sustainable economic models where the
actors are in accordance with their responsibilities.
All these challenges can be an opportunity in the region, as each country could benefit from the combined lessons
learned of e-waste management worldwide. Such opportunities could include the future generation of green jobs;
an important technology transfer to the region; the creation of relevant capacity for e-waste management; and,
above all, an improvement in the quality of life of the region’s populace.
A recent report by the UNEP states that there is an "urgent need to prepare developing countries for the
emergence of a significant amount of electronic waste due to the enormous acceleration of the use of mobile
phones, tablets or other devices, and other equipment". The report emphasizes that "the proper collection and
recycling of solid electronic waste are essential for the recovery of economically valuable materials and to protect
the health of the population, and the construction of a new green economy and that these actions are not carried
out in many developing countries where they face the ghost of the mountains of hazardous waste, with serious
consequences for the environment and public health". (Step Initiative, UNEP, 2009)
The project, developed under a collaboration between the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Centre for Strategic Studies and Management of Brazil (CGEE), aims to develop
proposals for specific projects with the region’s strategic development issues. The collaboration addresses the
possibilities of moving towards the assembly and development of a reverse logistics chain of e-waste management
in Latin America and the Caribbean. (ECLAC/CGEE, 2015) Figure 3 graphically presents the concept of a reverse
chain proposed in this project:

Sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Latin America 37