DALE LA VUELTA: An Initiative to Transform Electronic Waste Into an Opportunity

The numbers associated with WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) have been increasing at an alarming rate every year. Underlining that, in Peru, only 20 percent of WEEE was recycled properly in 2019, highlighting the possibility of a big room for improvement in the country’s waste management policies and practices. The campaign “Dale la Vuelta,” which translates to “Turn it around,” is an effort by RLG Peru and SOS Children’s Villages of Peru to turn the WEEE issue into an opportunity to help those in need. It was started on July 15, 2021, through a kick-off webinar and has gained momentum and attention since then.  

The Campaign  

The campaign aims to harness the expertise of both the partnering organizations to transform WEEE into a tool to help the environment and children with contributions towards the school expenses, clothing, health services, and nutritional needs of children and adolescents. Besides the upliftment of children, the campaign would also be driven by the aspiration towards conserving the environment by reducing pollution, conserving valuable resources, and efficient management of electronic waste. Recycling electronic waste is complex and needs to be executed with the proper expertise to avoid damage at several levels like health, environment, and efficient extraction of valuable materials. RLG Peru and SOS Children’s Villages also aim to educate people and raise awareness. Together they share the knowledge of proper recycling methods at an individual level and their positive impacts on the surroundings.  

The Responsibilities  

The campaign rests on the responsibilities of three key players. First, RLG Peru orchestrates the collection, transportation, and recycling of WEEE. SOS Children’s Villages, on the other hand, raises awareness and organizes protection and helping programs for children. Both these responsibilities are helped and supported by the Ministry of Environment. 

The Strategy   

The strategy adopted for this initiative begins with the expertise of RLG Peru being utilized for the collection and recycling of WEEE with utmost efficiency to obtain a valuable output. Then, the dedicated recyclers reimburse the recovered resources. Subsequently, the gained funds flow into the protection and assistance programs for children and youth, which SOS Children’s Villages organize.