Trash Photos XVII: Color-Coded Selective Collection
Monday, June 15th, 2009Today I interviewed someone in the University of São Paulo’s (USP) Public Health Faculty (FSP) (the lead author in a study about catadores, as a matter of fact) and I spotted this in the mini-park in front of the building. These days it’s not hard to find color-coded collection bins in Brazil, particularly in the […]
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 […]
The Most Sustainable Bank in Emerging Markets?
Saturday, June 6th, 2009When the Financial Times and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced the winners of their annual Sustainable Banking Awards two days ago, guess who won among the emerging markets, beating out competitors from 37 countries? Brazil’s Itaú Unibanco. Last year the winner also was a Brazilian bank, Banco Real (now part of Grupo Santander Brasil). […]
Oaxaca Gets a Comprehensive Waste Law
Friday, June 5th, 2009The legislature of the Mexican state of Oaxaca (OX) just sent the governor a gift for World Environment Day: a comprehensive state solid waste law. Since Mexico adopted its federal General Law for the Prevention and Integrated Management of Wastes in 2003, the Federal District (DF) and many states have adopted their own general waste […]
A Bill to Require EIAs Before Packaging Drinks in Plastic
Saturday, May 30th, 2009Last year in a post about efforts in Brazil to stop the sale of beer in PET bottles, I explored some of the possible ramifications of an April 2008 rejection by a federal judge of all challenges to a 2002 ruling that brewers wishing to bottle their beer in PET or any other plastic must […]
Brazil Invests in International Research Cooperation on Second Generation Biofuels
Friday, May 29th, 2009Brazil will invest R$11.6 million (about US$ million at current exchange rates) in international research cooperation regarding second-generation biofuels with the 27 member states and the many associate states of the European Union (EU). A request for proposals from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) calls for projects that develop new production […]
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, […]
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 […]
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