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Solid Waste Management in Puerto Rico:Solid Waste Management in Puerto Rico:Realities, Facts and Figures

February 18, 2010

Solid Waste Management in Puerto Rico:

Major issues:•Solid waste generationg

• 4,000,000 tons/year of solid waste are generated• Recycling rates

Th li t i 2007 i t l 10%• The recycling rate in 2007 was approximately 10%• Landfills

• Serve as Puerto Rico’s only means of disposalSe e as ue to co s o y ea s o d sposa•Economic constraints

• Municipalities control landfills • Municipalities are not required to allocate a• Municipalities are not required to allocate a

percentage of the tipping fee towards compliance, closure or post-closure costs

Landfills in Operation: 24

*

* As stated in the Dynamic Itinerary (Itinerario Dinámico de Instraestructura: Documento de Política Publica Mayo 2008)


*


Compliance Issues

• Runoff controlRunoff control• Inadequate or insufficient landfill gas

controls and leachate collections systems in l dfillmany landfills

• Inadequate or insufficient groundwater and air monitoring systems in many landfillsair monitoring systems in many landfills

• Landfill mining on active cells• Active cells are not properly covered dailyActive cells are not properly covered daily• Inadequate slope gradient

Compliance Issues

Proper collection systems for leachatesystems for leachate and runoff are not installed

Compliance Issues

R l bl t i lRecyclable materials are landfilled

Compliance IssuesSolid waste is not

properly compacted on a daily basis.

Situation Action

Landfills are Puerto Rico’sonly means of disposal

Reduce and reuse waste generated and diversify disposal meansthrough Waste-to-Energy

Tipping fees are f ll l

Reducing waste generation and increasing landfill tipping fees are necessary to ensure that ourartificially low necessary to ensure that our waste disposal capacity is used at a more sustainable rate

Lack of funding streams for infrastructure improvements, closure and post-closure costs

Regulate tipping fees so that a percentage must be allocatedtowards closure and post-closure costs

Low recycling ratesPromote recycling through education and identification of y gsecondary markets

Puerto Rico: Laws and Public Policy

• Limits landfill expansions to thoseLimits landfill expansions to those strategically necessary to comply with the solid waste management plang p

Puerto Rico: Laws and Public Policy

• Prohibits new landfillsProhibits new landfills• Geographic limitations:

-North: Karstic zoneC t M t i t h-Center: Mountainous topography

Population Density: US

Densely populated areas have diverse means of disposalSource: USEPA Region 2: 2007 Waste-to-Energy Conference, Puerto Rico, March 14, 2007

Earth Engineering Center Survey of 2004 data (BioCycle, April 2006)

Population Density: PR

Source: USEPA Region 2: 2007 Waste-to-Energy Conference, Puerto Rico, March 14, 2007Earth Engineering Center, Columbia University

Waste-to-Energy: Advantages for Puerto Rico

• Diversify means of disposal while reducingwaste generated

• Opportunity to increase recycling rates

• Opportunity to make environmental• Opportunity to make environmental compliance a reality

• Plants emissions can be better controlledPlants emissions can be better controlled

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid soil and groundwater contaminationg

• Included in EPA approved Dynamic Itinerary as part of the integrated solid waste management plan

Solid Waste Management Authority Initiatives

• Scrap Tires:- Act part in revising bylaws p g yfor ADS pursuant to ACT 41 of 2009

- Asphalt rubber: first green road was paved in Novemberin November.

Solid Waste Management Authority Initiatives

• Promote waste reduction through education- Consortium with the Department of Education: work

plan complete pending discussion with DE- Consortium with ‘Hogar Crea’: provide incentives for

recollection of recyclable materials

• Develop a coherent management plan that will ensure an integrated Solid Waste Flow and enables new project developments including Waste to Energyp g gy

• Growing businesses around recycling

Closing Arguments

• Puerto Rico's situation regarding waste management is critical

• Puerto Rico must implement short and long term plans to manage this crisis

• Mass education programs are a key component but a tangible shift in recycling rate will take time

• Few options are economically viable

• Immediate results are needed

• Waste-to-Energy plants are an intrinsic part of the solution to Puerto Rico's solid waste management problem

“Source reduction recycling and waste-to-energySource reduction, recycling, and waste-to-energy are complementary parts of an integrated waste management system.”

U i d S E i l P i A R i 2United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 2007 Waste-to-Energy Conference

Toa Baja

Vega Baja

Florida

Illegal Dumpsitep

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