Subscribe to My Feed
Loading ...Salvadorian Industry Initiative Recovers 2178 Tons of Plastic Waste in 2008
Friday, April 3rd, 2009El Salvador’s Environment Ministry (MARN) and Health Ministry (MSPAS) just recognized the efforts of a local industry initiative known as Reciplast, which in 2008 recovered 2,178.3 metric tons (mT) of plastic waste. What is Reciplast? It owes its existence in part to MARN and MSPAS. In 2001 MARN and MSPAS launched a National Program for […]
Paper Made from Recycled Plastic
Friday, January 16th, 2009According to a report from São Paulo’s Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), a synthetic “paper” made from discarded post-consumer plastics has been developed at Brazil’s Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and tested in a pilot plant of Vitopel, a manufacturer of flexible films with a factory in Votorantim, São Paulo. Produced as a film, the […]
Mexico City Formally Implements Its Waste Law…Finally!
Friday, October 10th, 2008This week Mexico’s Federal District (DF) — the zone encompassing Mexico City and its environs — published the implementing regulation for its 2003 Waste Law — five years later than called for by the Law. Although the lack of an implementing does not stop a law from being applied and programs being launched (and the […]
Buenos Aires Bans Non-Biodegradable Plastic Bags
Saturday, September 13th, 2008The Province of Buenos Aires (PBA) just became the latest Latin American jurisdiction to prohibit retailers from offering non-biodegradable plastic carry bags. The provincial government is trumpeting the new law as one banning polyethylene (PE) and other plastic carry bags, but a careful reading of the law shows that it only bans non-biodegradable plastic bags. […]
Making Post-Consumer Recovery of Pesticide Packaging Work
Monday, May 28th, 2007The recent decision by Colombia to impose extended producer responsibility (EPR) for post-consumer pesticide packaging reminded me of a draft sitting in the infamous backlog queue since January. It looks at the Brazilian system for dealing with such packaging, which seems to be operating very well, in spite of predictions to the contrary by skeptics […]
PAC’ing Brazil III: Energy, Petrochemicals and Biofuels
Saturday, March 3rd, 2007In Part I, I provided an overview of what the Program for Accelerated Growth (Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento – PAC) proposed by President Lula is and why it matters to the issues I discuss in The Temas Blog. I also discussed its most direct impact on environment policy, the proposed changes in environmental licensing. […]