ARGENTINA: A new waste treatment plant aims to tackle overflowing landfills in Buenos Aires by recycling and composting city rubbish

Record ID: 447221

  • Title: ARGENTINA: A new waste treatment plant aims to tackle overflowing landfills in Buenos Aires by recycling and composting city rubbish
  • Date: 3rd January 2013
  • Summary: JOSE LEON SUAREZ, BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE, ARGENTINA (JANUARY 3, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF GARBAGE PROCESSING PLANT SIGN READING: MBT PLANT (REUSABLE MATERIAL AND BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT) VARIOUS OF CRANE LIFTING GARBAGE AND PUTTING IT IN A CONTAINER TO BE PROCESSED TREATMENT PLANT WITH RUBBISH PASSING BY ON CONVEYOR BELT CLOSE-UP OF CONVEYOR BELT VARIOUS OF PLANT OPERATORS CLASSIFYING AND SEPARATING GARBAGE VARIOUS OF HEAD ENGINEER ENRIQUE PRUDENZO VARIOUS OF PRUDENZO IN PLANT AND PROGRAMMING A MACHINE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HEAD ENGINEER, ENRIQUE PRUDENZO, SAYING: "The plant treats 1000 tonnes of garbage a day and it has a yield of 59%, with which 600 tonnes of garbage a day is spared from going into a landfill." VARIOUS OF PLANT VARIOUS OF PLASTIC BOTTLES BEING PROCESSED OPERATORS WORKING IN THE PLANT CRUSHED AND CONDENSED PACKAGES OF PLASTIC (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HEAD ENGINEER, ENRIQUE PRUDENZO, SAYING: "This is the first mechanical biological treatment plant in Argentina and in South America with this kind of technology. Not only for its reduction capacity, but also for its biological treatment of organic waste." SIGN THAT READS: BIOSTABILIZATION UNIT HUGE BAGS OF ORGANIC WASTE VARIOUS OF ELECTRONIC CHART THAT MONITORS ORGANIC WASTE (EG. OXYGEN, TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY) VARIOUS OF RECOVERED ITEMS INCLUDING CANS, PLASTIC BOTTLES, PAPER AND PLASTIC CONTAINERS VARIOUS OF COMPOSTED ORGANIC WASTE TO BE BURIED IN GROUND
  • Embargoed: 18th January 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Environment,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAA5MMKGMQRBJNR3QGBKK5MZE9B
  • Story Text: Overflowing landfills and garbage related-contamination have long been serious problems in the bustling Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.
    However, the city government says that a new treatment plant that officially opened its doors on Thursday (January 3) will reduce the city's whopping 6000 tonnes of daily landfill waste by 10 percent.
    The Reusable Material and Biological Treatment Plant (MBT), located 40 kilometres from Buenos Aires, is part of an initiative in response to a 2007 municipal law known as the "Zero Garbage" law.
    The legislation aims to tackle the volume of landfill-bound rubbish and waste toxicity levels with recycling and composting -- practices that have only recently become a priority in Argentina despite decades of lobbying on behalf of local environmentalists.
    Head Engineer at the MBT plant, Enrique Prudenzo, said the facility has the capacity to treat 1000 tonnes of city trash per day.

    "The plant treats 1000 tonnes of garbage a day and it has a yield of 59%, with which 600 tonnes of garbage a day is spared from going into a landfill," said Prudenzo.
    He also explained how it represented state of the art technology, not just in Argentina but for all of South America.

    "This is the first mechanical biological treatment plant in Argentina and in South America with this kind of technology. Not only for its reduction capacity, but also for its biological treatment of organic waste," added Prudenzo.
    While materials such as paper, metal cans and plastic bottles are separated for recycling, organic waste is placed in massive bags for composting.
    The composting process is closely monitored and is conducted in such a fashion so as to reduce the release of harmful ozone-damaging emissions.
    With eco-friendly treatment plants such as this one, the Zero Garbage law aims to cut city landfill waste by 75 percent by the year 2017.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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