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    Rio Adopts Law on Used Oil and Motor Oil Filters

    Friday, September 18th, 2009

    The governor of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state today signed a law regarding the final disposition of used lubricating oils and their filters.  The new law, rather short and simple, does four things: limits the sale of lubricating oils to those establishments equipped with “an adequate area” and “necessary specific equipment” for the collection of […]

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    A Regional Waste Exchange for Central America

    Monday, August 3rd, 2009

    For 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 […]

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    EPA Forces San Juan to Educate Other Cities on Proper Management of Used Oil and Fluorescents

    Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

    From the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): An Agreement between EPA and the Municipality of San Juan Prompts Effort to Improve Waste Handling Island-Wide The general public, municipal employees and others will get the opportunity to learn to properly handle used oil, oil filters and mercury-containing bulbs and lamps, thanks to a settlement between the […]

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    A Unique Environmental Institution

    Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

    Right 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 […]

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    Minas’ New State Waste Law Features Take-Back

    Sunday, January 18th, 2009

    Last 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 […]

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    Colombia’s New Hazardous Waste Law

    Saturday, January 17th, 2009

    At the end of 2008 Colombia adopted a new Law on Prohibitive Environmental Norms Regarding Hazardous Waste and Discards.  The new law is intended to close loopholes in prior law regarding hazardous waste imports, to toughen sanctions and enforcement, and to clarify liability for hazardous wastes from cradle-to-grave.  That it does, mostly. But it repeats […]

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    Recycling Used Motor Oil Packaging in Brazil

    Thursday, December 25th, 2008

    In past posts I’ve discussed how recovery of used motor oil is still in its early stages in Latin American nations such as Brazil and Colombia.  But that’s only part of the waste problem generated by the lubricants we use in motor vehicles.  There’s also the packaging that the new motor oil comes in, the […]

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    Recovering Used Oil in Colombia

    Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

    Recently Colombia’s Environment Minister, Juan Lozano Ramírez, lauded an industry initiative in that country to collect and environmentally manage used motor oil and lubricants known as the Used Oil Fund (Fondo de Aceites Usados – FAU).  “This process is progressing successfully, ” declared Lozano, “because the trend now is, without a doubt, business strengthening that […]

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    Trinidad & Tobago Opts for Systematic Recycling

    Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

    In the 2009 Budget Statement presented Monday by Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheria to the parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, the government announced that (surprise! surprise!) it is finally abandoning the Environment Management Authority’s (EMA) ten year-old proposal for a law creating a beverage container deposit-return system, and will instead is opting for a comprehensive waste […]

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    A Solid Waste Plan for Costa Rica

    Friday, July 18th, 2008

    Recently 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 – […]

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