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Loading ...São Paulo Adopts a WEEE Law
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009The state assembly of the state of São Paulo (SP) today passed a law on “technological trash” (lixo tecnológico) that is likely to have a significant impact on the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) product and component business in Brazil. SP is Brazil’s biggest EEE market and home to much of its EEE industry, and […]
Upcycling Raffia Sacks
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009Ortigueira is a small municipality (about 24,000) in the rural interior of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná (PR), about 200 kilometers from the state capital. Until recently it was perhaps best known as the city with lowest human development index (HDI)* ranking for the state. Now it’s becoming known as a center of an […]
Mato Grosso do Sul to Recycle Auto Glass
Sunday, May 24th, 2009A few months ago the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo (ES) became the first jurisdiction in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to adopt a law on recycling auto glass. Now it’s been joined by Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). Like the ES law it is modeled after, the new MS Law makes companies that […]
New Movement on Recycling Used Motor Oil Packaging in Brazil?
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009Last year I posted about (slow-building) momentum in Brazil to collect and recycle the packaging that the new motor oil comes in, starting originally in 2003 in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) as a preemptive move by an industry group* and then expanded to Rio Grande do Sul (RS) in 2005, Paraná (PR) in 2007 and […]
An E-Waste Bill for Pernambuco
Friday, May 22nd, 2009The northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco may go the way of its southern sister state, Paraná, regarding computer-related waste. A bill was just introduced in Pernambuco’s state assembly that appears patterned after Paraná’s Law adopted last year. It would require producers, distributors and vendors of “informatic equipment” to create and maintain programs for their recovery, […]
São Paulo Offers Packaging Bill for Public Comment
Friday, May 22nd, 2009The Environment Secretariat (SMA) of São Paulo (SP) today published for public comment on its website a draft bill for a law on post-consumer packaging. The bill would create a rather complex shared responsibility system to ensure that post-consumer packaging in SP is either recycled or reused. Anyone wishing to submit comments or suggested changes to the […]
Espirito Santo Adopts Law on Products Containing Heavy Metals
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Last month Paraná (PR) adopted a law on mercury-containing products, now Espírito Santo (ES) has adopted a law on products containing heavy metals. Which Brazilian state is next, and will it adopt PR’s single-substance approach, or ES’ broader wider net? Points of Confusion Article 1 of the brief ES law requires “suppliers” and distributors of […]
BNDES Increases Support to Waste Picker Co-ops in 2009
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009From the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES): BNDES lends R$ 7.4 million to 11 waste-picker recycling cooperatives in 2009 Entities will contribute to raise the population’s awareness and improve separate garbage collection services This year, the BNDES boosted its support to waste-picker recycling cooperatives and approved R$ 7.4 million for 11 institutions. The non-reimbursable funds derive […]
Trash Photos XVI: Furniture Made with PET Bottles
Sunday, April 26th, 2009Back in January I posted about making furniture made from scrap tires that serves not only to “upcycle” (as my friend Leila insists I call it!) waste but also to help unemployed or low-income Brazilians earn income. At the time I intended to post a week or two later about similar projects involving furniture made […]
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 […]