A Computer Waste Bill for Rio Grande do Sul
Friday, October 2nd, 2009A bill on information technology (IT) waste has been introduced in the state legislative of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) that is similar to a law adopted in 2008 by its neighbor, Paraná. The bill would require producers, distributors and vendors of “informatic equipment” to create and maintain programs for […]
Rio Adopts Law on Used Oil and Motor Oil Filters
Friday, September 18th, 2009The governor of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state today signed a law regarding the final disposition of used lubricating oils and their filters. The new law, rather short and simple, does four things: limits the sale of lubricating oils to those establishments equipped with “an adequate area” and “necessary specific equipment” for the collection of […]
Directional Signals in Brazilian Federal Waste Policy
Monday, August 17th, 2009A body most people have never heard of, part of a larger organization many people do not know or understand, met today and took a series of decisions that will help shape new directions in waste policy in Brazil. The larger organization many do not know and a good many do not understand is Brazil’s […]
Acordo Mineiro Sobre a Gestão de Resíduos Eletroeletrônicos
Thursday, August 13th, 2009Desde a Fundação Estadual do Meio Ambiente (FEAM): Acordo irá incrementar ações de gestão de resíduos eletroeletrônicos Previsto para acontecer ao longo de 2010, o projeto estabelecerá uma parceria, inicialmente, com 25 empresas que irão repassar equipamentos como computadores, telefones, celulares e impressoras em desuso para a Feam, que dentro do projeto 3RsPCs – Resíduos […]
São Paulo’s Car Emissions Inspection Regime Unconstitutional?
Sunday, June 14th, 2009Stuck in a hotel lobby in the City of São Paulo, waiting since dawn to be allowed to check in my room, I have been catching up on my reading on Latin America environment, health and consumer affairs, in both electronic and print formats. One of the electronic tidbits I found involves this very city: […]
Paraná Adopts Take-Back Law for Mercury-Containing Products
Saturday, April 18th, 2009Earlier this month the governor of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná (PR) signed a brief law that would require the take-back of fluorescent lamps, piles, cell phone batteries “and other artefacts” that contain metallic mercury. Who Collects? The law requires resellers of such products in the state to provide suitable collection bins on their […]
One Million Environment-Friendly Homes
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009If you have followed Brazil much in recent years, President Lula’s interest in building “popular housing” for low-income households will not surprise you, and if you read The Temas Blog, you know that many of those being built already are fitted with solar water heaters on their roofs. But the Lula Administration is now taking […]
Thermal Power Plants Will Have to Compensate for Carbon Emissions
Friday, March 20th, 2009Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc says he will sign in April an administrative rule (portaria) that will require all thermo-electric power plants (burning petroleum or coal) seeking environmental licenses from the national environment agency, IBAMA, to provide for compensation (abatement) measures for their carbon emissions before they will be granted a license. The portaria will […]
Supreme Court: Producers Decide Which Third-Party Organizations Will Handle Their Waste Obligations
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009Brazil’s Superior Court just issued an important ruling regarding producer responsibility. The case involved a challenge to the exclusive right of a third party organization to control the implementation of a producer responsibility waste recovery obligation imposed under Brazilian environmental legislation. The firm Santos e Paccini Ltda. – Fineplast contested a denial of an environmental […]
A Unique Environmental Institution
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009Right now, until 05 February, environmental groups across Brazil are electing their representatives on the National Environment Council (Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente – CONAMA). The more than 500 environment nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the Environment Ministry’s (MMA) National Registry of Environmental Entities (Cadastro Nacional de Entidades Ambientalistas – CNEA) are voting for which individuals […]
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