Garbage disposal is a common problem for all Brazilian cities. Most of them do not have recycling plants or landfills, and dump their trash in big “lixões” (huge piles of trash), causing environmental problems.
The federal government offers credit line for sanitation and integrated solid waste management projects, and, to introduce it to the municipalities, began a series of 11 seminars yesterday, in Rio de Janeiro.
The Director of the National Secretariat for Environmental Sanitation of the Ministry of the Cities, Marcos Montenegro, who participates in the seminar, emphasized the program that makes municipalities capable of controlling the emission of pollutant gases produced by landfills and “lixões,” thus, becoming eligible to receive international fund resources. According to him, 120 Brazilian cities have already subscribed to the program.
“Landfills and ‘lixões’ are sources of methanol emission, which is a major producer of the greenhouse effect,” said Montenegro.
“By properly handling this gas, through adequate incineration or energy generation, we have the opportunity to become eligible for gas control fund resources, as established in the Kyoto Protocol,” added Montenegro.
ABr