Page 82 - Implementation of ITU-T international standards for sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment: The path to a circular economy in Costa Rica

Implementation of ITU-T international standards for sustainable management of waste
electrical and electronic equipment: The path to a circular economy in Costa Rica

Taking managed WEEE as a reference, Figure 54 shows that the ratio between managed WEEE
to generated WEEE is similar to the ratio between managed WEEE and imported EEE, except
for refrigerators and CRT TVs, which is three times higher in the former case and rises from 1.5
per cent to 103 per cent in the latter. This ratio means low WEEE management rates (below
11%), except for small IT, which exceeds 50 per cent. Increasing WEEE management ratios is
a challenge for the country.

Figure 54 - Ratio of managed WEEE to generated WEEE (estimated by ITU) and to
imported EEE in 2020

3.6.3.1 Coarse and fine fractions flows

Surveys reflect that in 2020, 1 486.9 tonnes of Figure 55 – Final destination categories
coarse fractions were taken back from WEEE.
Figure 56 illustrates the coarse fractions flow
from collectors to final destinations. The
largest fractions correspond to galvanized
steel components (32.3%), recyclable
plastic (23.3%), and aluminium components
(15.7%). The main destination of the first
two fractions is treatment by other national
collectors, while aluminium components are
mostly sold in the international market.

The main destination of processed coarse fractions is treatment by other national managers
(53.7%), sales in the international market (22.9%), and final disposal in landfills (17%). Insulating

58