BUZZING IN BRAZIL

摘要

During the ISWA Annual Congress in Sao Paulo early in September I was struck by the buzz in the air and it was coming from three different angles: firstly, the Government. The messages from national and regional (state) government officials at the Congress sent out definite signals that the authorities are serious about implementing the waste recycling legislation introduced in 2010. Already the August 2014 deadline has arrived obliging all municipalities to stop sending untreated waste to landfill- virtually none are compliant but Mayors are being called to order nationwide and told they face prison sentences for failing to comply. That is a tough signal indeed. The second buzz comes from the private sector. Investments in 2014 of some $2.8 billion have been announced by Brazilian companies in the waste sector, a small portion of what will be annually needed to comply with legislation in a country of 200 million people, but a significant start nevertheless- more will come.