Introduction
In recent years, significant international transboundary movement has evolved in personal computers, computer hardware, home appliances, old electric devices and used mobile phones that have been transported for the removal of usable parts, for refurbishment and reuse and for processing for the recovery of raw materials. Import and export statistics provided by Parties to the Basel Convention for the year 2000 show that there were imports of more than 17.5 million tonnes and export of 1.6 million tones designated as used electrical and electronic assemblies or scrap. Transboundary movement of these goods is forecast to increase significantly as more and more countries produce electrical and electronic equipment and tighten control over acceptable disposal methods, adopt processes to recover valuable constituents and use safe practices to deal with the hazardous constituents in e-wastes (e.g. cadmium, lead, beryllium, CFCs, brominated flame retardants, mercury, nickel and certain organic compounds). While offering some economic benefits, massive import of e-wastes coupled with the same wastes being generated locally is placing a heavy health and environmental burden, in particular on developing countries.
Electrical and electronic wastes (e-wastes) are classified in the Basel Convention as Annex VIII entries A1180, A1150 and A2010 as well as under Annex IX as B1110. Basically, e-wastes are characterized as hazardous wastes under the Convention when they contain components such as accumulators and other batteries, mercury-switches, glass from cathode-ray tubes and other activated glass, PCB-capacitors or when contaminated with cadmium, mercury, lead or PCBs. Also, precious ash from incineration of printed circuit boards and glass waste from cathode-ray-tubes and other activated glasses will be characterized as hazardous wastes.
E-waste is also a priority waste stream identified in the Basel Convention Strategic Plan (2002-2010) adopted at the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention and in the “Ministerial Statement on Partnerships for Meeting the Global Waste Challenge” adopted at the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention. In order to address environmental issues related to the increasing transboundary movements of these wastes, and to ensure their storage, transport, treatment, reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal is conducted in an environmentally sound manner, a proactive approach is essential. Through concrete and well-targeted regional and national efforts supported by the BCRC Argentina and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention along with other partners, these wastes can be managed in a manner that promotes economic, social as well as environmental objectives.
Background
The electrical and electronic equipment sector is largely a globalized industry with their production and their assemblage being increasingly outsourced to industrializing countries. The environmental and health effects associated with the fast growing volume of e-wastes, whether in a form of post-consumer goods or end-of-life equipment imported or generated domestically, requires the development of sound capacity to prevent, minimize, re-use, recycle or recover materials from such wastes and to dispose of the residues arising from these operations.
E-waste is a growing concern in South America. Since 2000, the use of personal computers in the region grows around 15% a year. Furthermore, ITU figures show Brazil and Argentina to be among the 25 countries with the most personal computers in the world. A better assessment of the production of e-waste in the region is key to assisting national authorities to respond to this emerging issue through the development of new environmental regulations, the building of partnerships with industry and the consideration of policies on life-cycle approach, integrated waste management and cooperation and sharing of information at the regional level.
Numerous obstacles have been identified by countries in regard to their ability to manage e-wastes in an environmentally sound way. These include the lack of easily accessible information (on flows, quantities, available technology, legislative/trade requirements of countries importing new products, who will require increasingly strict standards for minimization and re-use, recycling and recovery).
Objectives
To respond to the needs and concerns expressed by the Parties to the Basel Convention, to follow the Strategic Plan for the implementation of the Basel Convention (particularly fields a, b, c and e), to address the Ministerial Statement on Partnerships for Meeting the Global Waste Challenge and also based on the needs and concerns expressed by the countries in South America, the project aims to pursue the environmental sound management of electronic wastes in South America according to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal and other international obligations.
In order to address the e-waste problem in South America, the objective of the project is:
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To provide an assessment of the regional situation of e-waste, tools to develop national policies for re-use, repair, refurbishment and recycling and capacity building to implement these policies;
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To support national and local initiatives to divert end-of-life electronic equipment from dumping and landfills towards sustainable re-use and recycling operations to protect human health and the environment;
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To raise public awareness on the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment.
Activities
Seven activities are proposed in order to properly address the objectives of the project on inventory of e-waste in South America:
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To select a qualified project coordinator to monitor the development of the project and to act as an interface with the countries;
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To establish contact with the participant countries in order to identify the structure of each national market for electronic products and to collect information regarding the national inventory of the actual situation of e-waste;
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Elaborate a document compiling the information submitted by the participant countries;
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Conduct a desk study in order to review and compare the existing practices for dealing with e-waste at the national level;
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Propose a regional approach on e-waste that is consistent with the environmentally sound management of waste and submit a draft of proposal to the participating countries in order to receive comments from the countries of their concerns;
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Develop, based on the inputs of the participating countries, a national framework for the environmentally sound management of e-wastes for the participating countries including the most appropriate policies and strategies to deal with e-waste in the region;
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Conduct a pilot study in one participating country for the collection and segregation of e-wastes with a view to their sound re-use, repair, refurbishment, and/or recycling for material recovery.
Outputs
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In view of the objectives expressed in item III of the project document, the following outputs are expected from the implementation of the Inventory of e-waste in South America:
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A compilation of the existing disposal practices and/or treatment of the electronic waste in the South American countries;
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A technical report setting out a national framework for the environmentally sound management of e-waste in South America;
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A report on the pilot study undertaken in order to assess the application of the national framework on the environmentally sound management of e-waste in one participating country;
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A project report containing an executive summary, a commentary on the feedback from the participating countries during the development of the project and a general review of the project (including difficulties faced during the project’s implementation and suggestions for future actions).
Project documents:
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Report on the Course on the Management of Electrical and Electronic Wastes and Congress on Management of Electrical and Electronic Wastes
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