Lima, 9-11 February and Nairobi 27 February 2016: Local consultations with formal and informal recyclers as well as with local authorities and Governments’ representatives were held in Peru and Kenia on the Draft 1 of the ISO document on “Guidance Principles for the Sustainable Management of Secondary Metals” (Guidance Principles).

Main issues of concern raised in Peru dealt with working environment conditions as well as with formalization aspects. Overall, participants agreed on the need for formalizing their activities, however, support will be required along the long formalization process – including legal advice. The stepwise approach (i.e. gradual implementation) introduced in the Guidance Principles was welcomed and the timeline proposed of 5 years for the informal sector and 1-3 years for formal companies was considered as reasonable. Main threats discussed by the participants include the variability of prices of recycled materials, the weak enforcement of current regulations, the gaps in the legal framework related to recycling practices, the lack of authorized collection spaces, and the lack of information on authorized buyers of recycled materials.

Participants in Nairobi highlighted the need for identifying worst practices (e.g. open burning, amalgamation, leaching) and alternatives and agreed to setup a working group to developed fact sheets as an Annex of the Guidance Principles. Some recommendations raised by the Nairobi participants also included the need to (i) provide guidance on how to consider the uncertainties such as the prices variability and lack of local and national regulations to enforce recycling; (ii) elaborate on how local metal producers and formal recyclers in general can support subsistence activities and unofficial economic operators in the transition period and until they reach compliance; (iii) elaborate a bit further on the economic operators concerned (a broader list with economic operators including e.g. refurbishers was requested).

The Lima, Peru, consultations were held on 10 and 11 February, with support of the Peruvian Institute of Social Economy (IPES) and the Municipality of Lima Metropolitana. Another consultation meeting in Lima was organized by Ciudad Saludable on 9 February. About 110 participants attended the Lima consultations: 60% represented the informal sector and associations, 5% recycling business and 35% local municipalities, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Industries. Download the presentation here .

In Nairobi, the one-day consultation on 27 February with African Recyclers and Government representatives was organized in conjunction with the 2nd E-Waste Academy Managers Edition (EWAM). About 30 participants from 10 African countries had intense discussions on the main elements of the Guidance Principles. You can download the presentation here.

The aim of the public consultations is to ensure the active participation of and feedback from local recyclers of waste containing metals (e.g. mobile phones, computers, cars). This includes informal sector representatives, as well as local government and Ministries representatives who deal with recycling-related policies development and enforcement. Comments received will be considered in a revised version of the ISO document under development.

If you want to know more about the consultation results, are interested in joining the SRI Roundtable, or would like to just know more about our please register here.