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Loading ...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 […]
IFC Supports PET Recycling in Mexico / IFC respalda el reciclaje de PET en México
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009From the International Finance Corporation (IFC): IFC Supports PetStar’s Launch of Recycling Facility to Reduce Waste in Mexico IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, supported the launch of operations for Petstar SA de CV’s bottle–to-bottle recycling facility, which is expected to significantly reduce the volume of non-biodegradable waste and contribute to greater longevity […]
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 […]
An E-Waste Bill for Colombia
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009After months of rumbling on the issue (here and here), Colombia finally has its first formal proposal to regulate waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE or “e-waste” or “e-scrap”) — in this case, in the form of a bill introduced in the Colombian Senate. Whether or not the bill manages to pass before the 2010 […]
Brazil a Leader in Green IT?
Sunday, April 12th, 2009I ran across this interesting “green IT” study released last month by IBM and the Info-Tech Research Group during the course of my work on a chapter on power management issues for a forthcoming book on green IT (information technology). Info-tech surveyed more than 1,000 IT executives at companies with 100-1,000 employees in 12 nations […]
Brazilian Banks Assume Environmental Commitment
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009Brazilian businesses depending on bank financing for their economic activities will have to prove from now on that they are committed to developing socio-environmental policies, such as those regarding respect for human and workers’ rights, conservation of biodiversity, valuing the diversity of local cultures, reduction of poverty and income distribution inequality. This is the intended […]
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 […]