Descrizione del progetto
Gestione dei rifiuti elettronici
Il vostro vecchio telefono, il computer portatile danneggiato e altre apparecchiature elettriche e parti di scarto si accumulano velocemente. Entro il 2021, oltre 52 milioni di tonnellate metriche di questi rifiuti elettronici saranno generati in tutto il mondo, di cui solo una minima parte viene riciclata. I dati mostrano che solo il 20 % dei rifiuti elettronici viene raccolto e riciclato in maniera documentata. Il progetto E-Waste Challenge, finanziato dall’UE, si occuperà della gestione dei rifiuti elettronici nei paesi a basso e medio reddito. Si concentrerà sull’India e sul Sudafrica, due paesi in cui le politiche in materia di rifiuti elettronici non sono mai state analizzate in precedenza. I risultati forniranno informazioni e soluzioni sia per i responsabili politici dell’UE che per quelli non europei.
Obiettivo
Electronic waste (E-waste) or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world today. It is a complex stream of waste as it contains both hazardous chemicals and valuable/precious metal components. A major challenge for the research community, therefore, is to find effective (policy) solutions for addressing the environmental and health problems caused by E-waste management in low and mid-income countries while, at the same time, enhancing the recovery of precious metals to reuse these resources. During my Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship, I will analyse why emerging economies adopt E-waste policies that seem inadequate and ineffective in their local contexts and identify alternative approaches. In a first step, I will develop a novel analytical framework to analyse the effectiveness of E-waste policies in emerging economies and, as a second step, I will seek to explain the degree of effectiveness of E-waste policies in India and South Africa. The research aims to make conceptual, empirical and policy-relevant contributions: I strive to contribute to the academic literature by developing a novel analytical framework that helps evaluate E-waste policies in non-Western countries. Current literature on E-waste is largely based on assumptions derived from Western policies, polities and societies. By analysing the cases of India and South Africa, my research will focus on two countries whose E-waste policy has hardly been analysed. The findings of the project will provide insights that both the EU and non-European policymakers can use in their decision- making. The EU has a keen interest in supporting non-EU countries tackle their E-waste challenges through effective policies, especially since parts of the E-waste that causes problems in those countries originates from the EU and is a direct result of European consumption. I will contribute to the understanding of how such EU support could be designed.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
3000 Leuven
Belgio