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Loading ...A Regional Waste Exchange for Central America
Monday, August 3rd, 2009For years I’ve advocated establishing and heavily promoting subregional (or in the case of huge and diverse market of Brazil, at least a national) waste exchanges as one way to promote more reuse and recycling and to minimize wastage. It certainly makes more sense than national waste exchanges, particularly in the case of a collection […]
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 […]
Minas’ New State Waste Law Features Take-Back
Sunday, January 18th, 2009Last week the governor of Minas Gerais (MG) signed the State Solid Waste Policy Law. The Law’s 57 articles establish the principles, guidelines, goals and instruments for the correct management of waste, and defines the obligations of different waste generators and the users of urban sanitation services. Minas is not the first Brazilian state to […]
ADS Quiere Cambios en Ley Sobre Reciclaje de Neumáticos
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008Desde la Autoridad de Desperdicios Solidos (ADS): URGEN CAMBIOS A LA “LEY DE MANEJO DE NEUMÁTICOS” En Puerto Rico se desechan alrededor de 18,000 neumáticos diarios (aproximadamente 4.7 millones anuales), los cuales son generados por las 3,400 gomeras registradas alrededor de la isla. La mayoría de los neumáticos son recogidos, procesados, exportados y reciclados por […]
A Solid Waste Plan for Costa Rica
Friday, July 18th, 2008Recently Costa Rica was presented its long-awaited Solid Waste Plan (PRESOL) by the entities belonging to the Inter-Institutional Platform of the Competitiveness and Environment Program (CYMA): the Health Ministry (MinSalud), the Planning Ministry (Mideplan), the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), the Institute for Municipal Development and Advice (Instituto de Fomento y Asesoria Municipal – […]
Tire Mountains as a Border Issue
Monday, July 14th, 2008If you you’re not a waste specialist (“garbologist”) or waste nut (like me), then you might have missed this one or not understood its significance even if you did hear of it. End-of-life (EOL) tires — called “scrap tires” by industry but often referred to as “waste tires” by regulators — have bedeviled environmental authorities […]
Bahia to Adopt Paraná’s Zero Waste Program Model
Saturday, October 13th, 2007I’ve mentioned here several times the innovative Zero Waste Program (Programa Desperdício Zero) of the southern Brazilian state Paraná, such as how it applies to glass recycling, pesticide packaging, aseptic packaging and finding new ways to reuse/recycle plastic (PET) bottles (such as building solar water heaters). At some point I should do a comprehensive post […]
Tetra-Pak Chooses to Deal
Thursday, July 26th, 2007Synopsis in English: In May the environment officials of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná called in Tetra Pak officials and told them to come up with a proposal to solve the post-consumer waste problem in that state associated with their long-life (aseptic) packaging — or face drastic action by the government, such as banning […]
WHO Calls for Combatting Occupational Cancers
Sunday, April 29th, 2007Yesterday was World Day for Safety and Health at Work. Although the WHO press release reproduced below has a global scope, its message is very relevant for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). There are still some LAC nations that do not have comprehensive occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation, some which have not banned […]
Clean Shores I: International Coastal Clean-Up Day in LAC
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006ICC in St. Maarten / Photo: Rajesh Chintaman In my prior series on protecting coral reefs, I underlined the importance of keeping coastlines and coastal waters clear of trash/debris. In this first segment of a two parter on “clean shores,” I will examine the efforts of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to sensitize the public around the […]