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E-waste Recycling December 15, 2017 01:30:47 PM

The Americas Produced Over 25% of Global E-Waste in 2016

Paul Ploumis
ScrapMonster Author
The Latin American region generated 4.2 Mt of e-waste in 2016, at a rate of around 7.1 kg per inhabitant. The top three Latin American countries in terms of e-waste generation during the year were Brazil (1.5 Mt), Mexico (1 Mt) and Argentina (0.4 Mt).

The Americas Produced Over 25% of Global E-Waste in 2016

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Americas generated 11.3 million metric tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste in 2016. This is almost 25.3% of the total e-waste generated across world countries during the year. Out of this, only 1.9 Mt was recycled through appropriate channels. The collection rate by the region was 17%. Also, the Americas generated 11.6 kg of e-waste per inhabitant in 2016, said the report titled ‘Global E-waste Monitor 2017’ published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) - the UN agency for information and communication technologies in partnership with the UN University (UNU) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA).

The USA- the top producer in the Americas generated 6.3 Mt of e-waste during the previous year. Out of this, the country collected 1.4 Mt of e-waste, thereby recording a collection rate of nearly 22%. Brazil with 1.5 Mt was the second largest producer. In third place was Mexico with nearly 1 Mt.

The report cites that the US still lacks national legislation on e-waste management. However, several states have their own legislations in place. Approximately 84% of the country’s population is covered by legislation, with 15 states yet to implement legislation. At the same time, it commended the various initiatives undertaken by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in regulating e-waste through sustainable partnerships with certified electronics recyclers. Canada too doesn’t have a national legislation. Provincial laws do exist. All states except Yukon and Nunavut are controlled by local regulations. The country recycled almost one-fifth of the total e-waste generated in 2016, the report noted.

The Latin American region generated 4.2 Mt of e-waste in 2016, at a rate of around 7.1 kg per inhabitant. The top three Latin American countries in terms of e-waste generation during the year were Brazil (1.5 Mt), Mexico (1 Mt) and Argentina (0.4 Mt). Mexico topped LatAm countries with a collection rate of 36%. The collection rate in rest of Latin America stood below 3%.

Only seven countries- Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru- have national legislation on e-waste management. Some countries have just initiated steps to implement regulatory framework. All such legislation processes needs to be accelerated to ensure sustainable e-waste management in the region. The report also recommends the need for more research to be carried out in addressing the e-waste problem in Latin America.

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