Minas presents perspectives and initiatives to close landfills at international fair

The State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (Semad) was at the International Fair for Water, Sewage, Drainage and Waste Recovery Solutions – IFAT Brasil, which takes place in São Paulo. The Secretary of State for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Marília Melo, and the Undersecretary for Sanitation, Anderson Diniz, participated in the event, at the invitation of the Brazilian Association of Waste and the Environment (Abrema).

The secretary spoke at the panel on the closure of landfills in Brazil and highlighted actions developed and prospects for the closure of landfills in Minas Gerais. “It is a challenge that needs to be faced urgently, to achieve positive impacts on public health, the environment and the economy,” she said.

In addition to closing the landfills, the secretary also pointed out that during the process it is necessary to have a very dedicated look at the social insertion of recyclable material collectors who still work in these areas, so that it does not deepen and further aggravate the situation of social vulnerability in which meet. “This is a priority view for Semad in the process of closing the landfills”, she highlighted.

state

The latest data collected for the urban solid waste panorama, in December 2023, indicates that Minas Gerais had 244 landfills in operation. Semad has been working with interested public consortia and municipalities, through the signing of Technical Cooperation Terms (TCT), with the aim of promoting, in coordination, actions to advance the adequate management of urban solid waste.

It is important to highlight that the responsibility for the correct management of solid waste is municipal, however, Semad works to develop support actions for municipalities within the scope of its competencies and attributions, described in Article 36 of State Decree No. 48,706/2023.

The fair

IFAT is the largest fair for environmental technologies in the area of ​​waste and sanitation in the world and is in Brazil for the first time. As part of the program, a series of discussion panels are being held, with topics of impact on the waste sector in Brazil.