A year into its tenure, the government of Costa Rica has announced the formation of a joint committee to study a national plan for recycling and recovery of waste.
EDITORIAL:
In another grim example of the difficulties faced by rulers in Costa Rica to make executive decisions on public works, existing plans - which are currently on hold, and will probably disappear - for investment in the waste management and recycling sector, including generating power from them, due to the fact that the current government has decided to start from scratch with the formation of a committee to "develop strategies" on the topic. As if there were not already enough information on his issue, and as if the respective participants and those responsible had not expressed themselves sufficiently in this respect. It is the same case with the commission on energy introduced by this government.
In Costa Rica the Association of Mayors has submitted a complaint against the prohibition of generating energy from solid waste, and requested the lifting of the moratorium.
Despite the fact that on July 21 an agreement was made to allow one month to define a regulation governing the activity, the government has not made any progress on the issue and municipalities have decided to file a lawsuit with the Administrative Tribunal.
Municipalities in Costa Rica estimate that adoption of the regulations being prepared by the executive branch could accelerate the suspension of the moratorium in July.
The moratorium on generating energy from solid waste imposed by the government on July 11 could be lifted in late August, according to estimates by the National Association of Mayors and City Councils.
Although the law was passed last year in 2010, to date no 'quota' for recycling in the business sector has been defined.
Androvetto Eugenio Villalobos, coordinator of the Executive Committee for Waste Management at the Ministry of Health, said there is no agreement among employers about the goals, "because it is a sensitive issue. "
An article in LaNacion.com notes, "The quota will be discussed on Tuesday at the monthly CEGIR meeting, a committee which consists of representatives from universities, business associations, NGOs and various ministries."