GHG MITIGATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WASTE SECTOR IN ARGENTINA

1
GHG MITIGATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WASTE SECTOR
IN ARGENTINA
SBSTA IN-SESSION WORKSHOP ON MITIGATION THURSDAY,
9 DECEMBER 2004 COP 10
2
CONTENTS

• HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ARGENTINA
• NATIONAL STRATEGY
• BARRIERS TO PROJECT ACTIVITIES

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GDP AND WASTE
4
-18
30,9
5
-27
32,6
6
SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS

• In October 2002 45,7 of the households were
  below the poverty line
• Unemployment peaked at 21,5 in May 2002

7
WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

• There exists the technological and economic
  potential to hold GHG emissions.
• Greater energy efficiency opportunities are
  available, often at lower cost than expected.

8
HOUSEHOLD WASTE DISPOSAL IN ARGENTINA

• The dominant methods of waste disposal in
  Argentina are landfills and open dumps.
• There are
• 15 large landfills in the major metropolitan
  areas.
• About a 100 open dumps in the Buenos Aires
  metropolitan area.
• Around 2000 open dumps in urban areas.
• Approximately 65 of the urban population have
  their waste disposed in landfills.

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METHANE FROM LANDFILLS

• Current emissions of methane from disposed
  household waste add to 14 million tonnes of
  CO2e/per year (1997 national inventory).
• Those emissions are equivalent to 5 of GHG total
  emissions.

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HOUSEHOLD WASTE DISPOSAL IN ARGENTINA

• Municipal waste management is limited to
• Household waste collection.
• Disposal in landfills
• Disposal in open dumps
• There are few technical controls
• Health and environmental risks.

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HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL STRATEGY

• Diagnosis
• Poor institutional organization
• Scarcity of statistics and planning
• Lack of trained staff
• Insufficient legislation related to solid waste
  management
• Wide-spread waste collection
• Scavenging
• Significant amount of open dumps

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HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL STRATEGY

• Technical Components
• Sorting at the household level
• Recycling and reuse
• Composting
• Energy recovery
• Closure of open dumps
• Methane recovery and use

13
HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL STRATEGY

• Other Components
• Revision and consolidation of the regulatory
  framework
• Public awareness
• Economic instruments
• Provincial Plans

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BARRIERS TO METHANE RECOVERY PROJECTS

• Institutional barriers
• Solid waste and landfill management a low budget
  priority for cities, due to heavy financial
  constraints
• Collection costs absorb almost 85 of waste
  management resources
• Lack of funds to finance new investments
• Regulatory issues

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BARRIERS TO METHANE RECOVERY PROJECTS

• Technological barriers
• Managerial constraints at municipal level
• Landfills often distant from potential methane
  clients
• Landfills of medium/small cities may not generate
  enough methane to reach commercial scale

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BARRIERS TO METHANE RECOVERY PROJECTS

• Economic and financial barriers
• Electricity and natural gas price
• Scale of projects may not attract investors
• Lack or insufficient financing
• Lack of financial institutions understanding of
  these type of projects.

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How to overcome barriers?

• Technological barriers could be managed through
  technical systems.
• Clear and stable conditions are necessary due to
  the long recovery period.