CEMPRE and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) hold an event to promote the Brazilian model of recycling
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Compromisso Empresarial para Reciclagem - CEMPRE (Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will jointly hold the 3rd Meeting of the Regional Advisory Council for Inclusive Recycling, an IDB division aimed at the promotion of integrated management of waste in the countries of Latin America and Caribbean and the 4th Meeting of the Global Alliance for Recycling and Sustainable Development – GARSD. The meeting will be held at the bank's headquarters in Washington, United States, on October 21-22 and aims to disseminate the success of Brazilian model of recycling based on selective collection and inclusion of waste pickers.
The opening of the event will be attended by Mr. Ney Maranhao, Secretary of Water Resources and Urban Environment of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment. In addition, Victor Bicca, president of CEMPRE; Nancy Lee, General Manager of IDB's Multilateral Development Fund; and Alexandre Meira Rosa, Manager of IDB's Infrastructure and Environment sector will also participate in the event.
The meeting will review the current situation of waste management in the countries of Latin America and Caribbean – from the bottlenecks to the opportunities – and discuss the successful experiences in Brazil in order to expand and adapt them for the entire region. Discussions on policies and regulatory frameworks of solid waste management in Brazil, following the example of the National Solid Waste Policy approved in 2010; the IDB strategy for the treatment of waste in the region; shared responsibility; recycling value chain are planned, will be among the topics.
For this round of debates, the attendance of leaders of Latin American Network of Waste Pickers (RedLatina) and the National Movement of Recyclable Material Pikers (Brazil) is confirmed as well as representatives of cooperatives from some countries, including Argentina (Los Alamos Cooperatives, Buenos Aires). Representatives from Tetra Pak, Grupo Pao de Acucar, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Danone, P&G, Walmart, Owens Illinois, among other companies associated with CEMPRE, will also attend and share success stories in the sustainability area.
For Victor Bicca, the event is aligned with the current Brazilian recycling agenda, largely operated by waste collectors. "The importance of the inclusion of waste pickers in this process has been consolidated year after year." According to a survey conducted by the association, these workers were responsible for collecting and sorting 18% of post-consumption recyclable materials destined for recycling in Brazil in 2012. "Including and professionalizing these workers in the recycling cycle brings environmental, social and economic gains, which can be observed and expanded to neighboring countries," he explains. According to the executive, this model is compatible with the reality of other developing countries, whose peculiarities and features are similar to those of Brazil.
Bicca points out that CEMPRE's participation in this meeting confirms the association's leading role in issues relating to the promotion of integrated waste management in Brazil and in the adoption of recycling models based on the integration of waste collectors. "Since 1992, we have worked to contribute to the integrated solid waste management in the country. Having the model that we propose as a sustainable solution for the waste management and recycling in the countries of Latin America and Caribbean, with the endorsement of an organization such as IDB, gives us enormous satisfaction." The executive celebrates the model shared with other countries. "Our work not only contributes to the Brazilian development, but will also help increase the recycling rates in the whole continent".
During the event, the 4th Meeting of the Global Alliance for Recycling and Sustainable Development (GARSD) will also be held. The alliance is formed by organizations from other countries that share the model created by CEMPRE Brazil for the formation of cooperatives for waste pickers and classification of recyclable material. The GARSD consists of entities from Mexico (Sustenta), Colombia (CEMPRE), Peru (Reciclame), Uruguay (CEMPRE), Venezuela (ADAN), South Africa (PETCO) and Thailand (TIPMSE).
About CEMPRE
Compromisso Empresarial para Reciclagem – CEMPRE (Business Commitment for Recycling) is a non-profit association that works to make the society aware of the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling waste through awareness programs. The organization uses publications, technical studies and seminars, and maintains a rich database on the subject for public consultation in the headquarters in Sao Paulo. Founded in 1992, CEMPRE has been supported by contributions from private companies from various industries, including Ajinomoto, AmBev, ADM, Arcor, Batavo, Bauducco, Beiersdorf/Nivea, Brasil Kirin, Braskem, Bunge, Cargill, Carrefour, Casas Bahia, Coca-Cola, Danone, Dell, Diageo, Dow, Femsa, Gerdau, Grupo Pao de Acucar, Heineken Brasil, Hersheys, HP, Johnson & Johnson, Klabin, McDonalds, Mondelez, Nestle Waters, Nestle, Owens Illinois, Pepsico do Brasil, Procter & Gamble, Philips, SIG Combibloc, Suzano, Tetra Pak, Unilever Brasil, Vigor and Walmart Brasil.
SOURCE CEMPRE
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