ELECTRONIC WASTE TREATMENT IN MEXICO Viability and Obstacles

Mexico is at the beginning of the clean and renewable energy race. The Energy Reforms were instituted only in 2014 when the new regulatory governmental entities began their work. Nonetheless, they are already working in benefit of new energy companies. There is indeed a very strong basis for a new order and reform, but there are still some areas that have only just begun to get attention.

by José Ignacio Denogean M.

Current waste management practices are a clear example. There are very few places in Mexico where waste is separated correctly; most places barely reach an Organic/Inorganic distinction of waste. This happens mainly because there has not been a national effort to provide the infrastructure and logistics for proper waste separation. Also, bureaucracy and corruption from waste pickers’ and informal recyclers’ syndicates make any effort become stagnant. In recent years, the problem has aggravated because of the constant increase in population; particularly in the case of Electronic Waste (E – Waste). Its amounts have increased faster than other wastes’ because of advancements in technology, mass production and consumerism (Only last year, more than one million tons of E – Waste were generated). Because of this, it can pose an even bigger threat than hazardous wastes do.

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published: Columbia University Earth Engineering Center, 8|2016
Keywords: Metals, Mexico