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Project

Towards circular economy strategies for WEEE flows in Ecuador, based on integrated sustainability assessments

There is an increasing interest in the circular economy to tackle the challenge of finite resources for sustainable development. Ample attention is given to economic and ecological value from an international perspective, but less attention is paid to the social consequences at the local level. In many development countries the poorest families often survive by sorting garbage and selling recyclable materials. This project wants to study the possibilities for Ecuador of incorporating informal recycler cooperatives in the circular economy. It will analyze the current situation and explore the potential for informal recyclers, in two complementary cases in Ecuador: one case with good practice in integrated waste management, but limited experience with informal recyclers (Cuenca), the other case with interesting organizational experience with recyclers cooperatives, but disastrous waste management from an environmental and health perspective (Portoviejo). The focus of the the PhD research will be on the treatment of WEEE, to allow a more in-depth analysis of e-waste streams which pose important health and environmental risks as well as high economic potential. A thorough understanding of the dynamics of e-waste management, integrating environmental, social, and economic perspectives is necessary to improve the circular economy strategies for WEEE flows. However, there is scarce knowledge about stakeholders and market mechanisms (interests, capacities) involved in waste recycling in Ecuador. This is especially the case for WEEE (including the international dimension of the waste streams) on which this project wants to focus. The existing assessment instruments (E-LCA, S-LCA, LCC) are not adapted to situations and contexts in developing countries. There is also limited experience with integrating environmental, social and economic analysis. The PhD aims to map the e-waste streams, and their current and possible waste management systems, and assess it in an adapted and integrated way.

Date:4 Sep 2019 →  31 Dec 2020
Keywords:WEEE flows in Ecuador, WEEE Management Systems, E-waste generation estimation
Disciplines:Materials recycling and valorisation, Computational materials science
Project type:PhD project