Project

Uruguay: Environmental Sound Life-Cycle Management of Mercury Containing Products and their Wastes

Lead country

Uruguay

Participating countries

Uruguay

Project status

Closure

Implementing period

From February 26, 2014 to November 30, 2020

SDGs addressed by this project

SDG targets

  1. 12.1 Implement 10-year framework on sustainable consumption, production
  2. 12.4 Achieve environmentally sound chemical, waste management
  3. 12.6 Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices, reporting

Project ID: 5084

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Technical team

  • Chemicals and Waste Programme

Technical area(s)

  • Heavy metals
  • Waste management

Sub-area(s)

  • Mercury
  • Hazardous_chemical_waste

Landscape(s)

  • Human altered areas

Sub-landscape(s)

  • Industrial site

Transformed sector(s)

  • Materials and manufacturing

UNDP role(s)

  • Capacity development / Technical assistance
  • Institutional mechanism and system building
  • Normative support

Strategy

  • Governance
  • Law regulation
  • Capacity building

Sub-strategy

  • Institutional framework
  • Pollution control
  • Institutional capacity building
  • Community capacity building
  • Technical capacity building

Social inclusion

  • Local community/CSOs
  • Private sector

Gender equality

  • Awareness raising (on gender)

Gender result effectiveness scale

  • Gender targeted

Pathway(s)

  • People pathway
  • Systems pathway

Risk reduction target(s)

  • Hazard control/mitigation

SDG target(s)

  • 12.1 Implement 10-year framework on sustainable consumption, production
  • 12.4 Achieve environmentally sound chemical, waste management
  • 12.6 Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices, reporting

Conventions and protocols

  • Minamata Convention on Mercury

Private sector(s)

  • Small and medium-sized enterprises

Hot topic

  • Health
  • Structural/system transformation

About this project

Description

Protect human health and the environment from Mercury releases originating from the intentional use of mercury in products and the unsound management and disposal of such products, by i) Strengthening the regulatory and policy framework for the sound LCM of mercury containing products and their wastes; ii) Phasing-out and phasing-down mercury containing devices and products by introducing mercury-free alternatives or products with a lower Mercury content, iii) Improving national capacity (technical, financial, private sector) to make LCM of Mercury containing products technically and economically feasible.

Objectives

The objective of the project is protect human health and the environment from Mercury releases originating from the intentional use of mercury in products and the unsound management and disposal of such products.

USD $2,510,600

Grant amount

USD $3,007,760

Leveraged amount (co-financing)

1

Source(s) of fund

Sources of fund

 

  • Global Environment Facility – Trust Fund ($2,510,600)

Implementing partner(s)

  • Government of Uruguay

Project metrics

Outcome 1:

Strengthen the regulatory and policy framework to allow for life-cycle management of mercury containing products and their wastes. (Equivalent to activity in ATLAS)

 Indicators:

No. of Hg-containing medical devices and energy saving light sources decontaminated and disposed of within the project period (2014 – 2017).
Quantity (kg) of elemental Hg safeguarded which has been recovered from the decontamination process.
Safe decontamination options for Mercury containing products established.
Improved adherence to the sound collection, (temp.) storage and treatment of products containing mercury (in particular project partners and model facilities)
National Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy and regulations for mercury containing products adopted and introduced.
Strengthened policy and regulatory framework to enable the phase-out/down of mercury containing products and encourage Hg-free or lower level Hg products.
Business models and cost recovery arrangements (CRA) for the collection, transport, temporary storage and treatment of different types of Hg wastes operational and financially sustainable.
Mercury releases from priority sectors reduced and segregated Hg containing waste streams augmented.
Number of private sector operators, model healthcare facilities and PCTP staff capacitated in best practices related to collection, storage, treatment of Hg containing products and long-term safe storage of elemental Mercury, as well as the use of cost-effective Hg-free or low-Mercury content alternatives (if applicable)
Intermediate Hg storage options established and long-term storage options identified.
Technology to treat collected Hg containing product waste operational.
Awareness on LCM of Mercury containing products increased among project stakeholders, the general public and countries at regional and global level.
National capacity to monitor Mercury levels in populations strengthened.
Number of high quality monitoring and evaluation documents prepared during project implementation
Outcome 2:

Development of environmentally sound schemes and business models for the collection, treatment and disposal of mercury wastes
Outcome 3:

Strengthening technical capacity and infrastructure for the treatment and storage (medium – and long- term) of Mercury containing wastes.
Outcome 4:

Strengthening national and regional awareness on the Sound Life-Cycle Management of Mercury containing products as well as associated health hazards resulting from mismanagement
Outcome 5:

Monitoring, adaptive feedback, outreach and evaluation.
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Project reports and documentation

 

Project Document (ProDoc)

FEATURED STORY

Uruguay: Environmental Sound Life-Cycle Management of Mercury Containing Products and their Wastes

Story (Spanish) ​ ​ | ​ ​ Story (Spanish)