19 May 2015: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has released a report outlining the state of e-waste management in Latin America. The report is the result of a study undertaken by ITU, in collaboration with other international and regional organizations, and offers guidance to the region regarding steps to be taken towards environmentally sustainable e-waste management.

The report provides guidelines for Latin America to establish a roadmap towards environmentally sustainable e-waste management at the regional and national levels. It highlights the importance of implementing international technical standards, such as those developed by ITU’s Standardization Sector.

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said ITU’s membership has provided a “strong mandate” to address the e-waste challenge, and that his organization is well placed to implement actions that will help overcome the challenges presented by e-waste, particularly given the close collaboration with industry and international organizations.

According to ITU, e-waste is one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams, with an estimated 42-million metric tons generated in 2014 and developing countries often bearing the largest e-waste burden, as they are often ill-equipped to efficiently treat e-waste, and have experienced first-hand the adverse environmental and health effects of e-waste.

The report presents case studies based on e-waste regulatory frameworks in place in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, and analyzes e-waste challenges specific to these countries in order to identify sustainability concerns facing the region. It also introduces the general principles of e-waste management, including relevant processes and technologies, and provides an overview of policies, strategies and regulatory frameworks that have been successful in promoting environmentally sustainable e-waste management in other parts of the world.

Additionally, the report analyzes the environmental implications of e-waste and its effects on human health; identifies factors for consideration when designing policy and regulations to govern e-waste management; and describes stages in the lifecycle of electrical and electronic goods, as well as the roles played by various actors at these different lifecycle stages.

The report was launched during the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs), which convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from 4-15 May 2015. [ITU Press Release] [Publication in Spanish: Gestión Sostenible de Residuos de Aparatos Eléctricos y Electrónicos en América Latina]