sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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Unlike in the early 1990s, all Latin American capitals now have landfills. However, this does not
necessarily mean that all waste is deposited in them because, in parallel, makeshift landfills in natural
systems or in wasteland are used, causing problems of gas emissions, leaching and the <strong>development</strong> of
vectors of various diseases. Illegal dumps are still a serious problem because of their implications in terms
of health, pollution, soil degradation and the impact on tourism (Díaz, <strong>20</strong>09). Since <strong>20</strong>00, coverage rates
of street sweeping, collection and final disposal services have improved throughout the entire region.
More than half Latin America’s urban population now disposes of its waste in proper landfills, compared
with less than one quarter of the population at the beginning of this decade. These are major
achievements, although they are not necessarily uniform across all countries or all cities within a country
(UNEP, <strong>20</strong>10a). Data also reveal that cities are spending more on waste management.
In spite of the progress made with public cleaning services, collection and final disposal, waste
reduction, recovery and recycling practices are not widespread. There are numerous opportunities to be
explored in these markets, as well as in biogas recovery. Major programmes promoted by local
governments have been implemented and, in some cases, in partnership with civil or private organizations
(UNEP, <strong>20</strong>10a). The International Labour Organization (ILO) supports the Governments of some
countries in the region in defining policies to include waste-pickers in the solid-waste management
system, with the dual aim of increasing recycling and creating decent work for a traditionally highly
vulnerable segment of workers. Electronic waste has gained prominence in industrial waste management
(see box II.13).
Box II.13
ELECTRONIC WASTE: A CHALLENGE FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Growth in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has led to an increase in electronic waste
when equipment reaches the end of its useful life. Considering that large numbers of electronic devices are
abandoned owing to minor defects or no defects at all, there is huge social potential for reconditioning disused
equipment. The <strong>sustainable</strong> management of electronic equipment includes a variety of measures according to its
usefulness. In cases where reconditioning is appropriate, the steps include: collection, sorting, disassembly, analysis,
mechanical processing, reconditioning, assembly and distribution to beneficiaries. Recycling of end-of-life
equipment includes: disassembly, separation of components and processing of recyclable materials in recycling
plants, as well as final processing and storage of hazardous substances. Public–private partnerships are essential to
ensuring <strong>sustainable</strong> and effective solutions for managing electronic waste.
To encourage and promote greater producer accountability, including waste management, the European
Union enacted Directive <strong>20</strong>02/196/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January <strong>20</strong>03 on waste
electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), defining extended producer responsibility (EPR) for ecological product
design, collection of disused equipment and systematic treatment of hazardous components, as well as
reconditioning and recycling of usable components. This directive could serve as a model for formulating various
bills for legislation in Latin America.
The Basel Convention Partnerships Programme is developing the Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative
(MPPI) and the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE). The MPPI aims to ensure the
environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life mobile phones. PACE, whose partners include
Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, operates as a forum for Governments, industry, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and academia to tackle the environmentally sound management, refurbishment, recycling and
disposal of end-of-life computing equipment.
Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the basis of United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Regional Bureau for Sciences in Latin America and the Caribbean,
Los residuos electronicos: Un desafio para la Sociedad del Conocimiento en America Latina y el Caribe, Montevideo,
<strong>20</strong>10; and ECLAC, Sustainable <strong>development</strong> in Latin America and the Caribbean: trends, progress and challenges in
<strong>sustainable</strong> consumption and production, mining, transport, chemicals and waste management (LC/R.2161), Santiago,
Chile, <strong>20</strong>09.