Page 7 - 2016 Integrated management and disposal of electrical and electronic waste and used electrical and electronic equipment in Latin America

Executive summary

This study was carried out to determine the current status of the management of waste electrical and electronic
equipment (WEEE or e-waste) and used electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in Latin America and to define
the guidelines for a roadmap that would ensure the environmental sustainability of e-waste management in the
region. Latin American countries should promote the technological implementation of appropriate management
tools, technical standards of e-waste management, efficient regulatory frameworks and sustainable business
models. This work should include the participation of stakeholders from the information and communication
technology (ICT) sector, industry, the health sector, academia (especially those who study the environment and
technology), civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and society in general.
The first part of the report provides an overview of the management of e-waste in Latin America and presents
definitions and general principles of waste management at the global level, including processes and technologies.
It also introduces policies, strategies and regulatory frameworks from other regions that have been developing
sustainable e-waste management solutions for many years.
The report analyses the environmental impacts and health effects associated with inadequate management of e-
waste in order to identify risks and opportunities. Policymakers in the region should consider these risks and
opportunities when designing new policies and regulations for waste management. The report also describes the
roles of the different stakeholders in the management of EEE throughout its life cycle, until it becomes e-waste.
The subsequent sections include a case analysis of the regulatory framework implemented in each Latin American
country. This report also provides an overview of the challenges faced by the region and the ICT industry that may
impede environmentally sustainable e-waste management in the medium and long term. Further, this study
stresses the importance of the implementation of technical standards developed by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) to facilitate the proper management of e-waste and to respond to the growing
concerns in the ICT sector and the public.
The report concludes with recommendations for the establishment of a roadmap to ensure environmental
sustainability for regional and national e-waste management in Latin America. This includes the need to promote
models that prioritize reuse and recycling together with building effective partnerships that bring together all
stakeholders to the fullest extent possible.
The countries selected for this study are Argentina, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on account of their comparatively
uniform legislation in the region. Additionally, some of these countries carry out e-waste management with general
and/or analogous rules, which lack specificity to address the problem of e-waste that now deserves and demands
special treatment and specific regulation.

This study has been carried out in collaboration with several organizations working towards the sustainable
management of e-waste worldwide. These organizations include, among others, the ITU, the Secretariat of the
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, the World
Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations University (UNU) and the United Nations Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

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