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Uruguay's Environment Minister Outlines Plans for Waste Management and Environmental Month
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Environment & Climate

Uruguay's Environment Minister Outlines Plans for Waste Management and Environmental Month

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Interview Sources not specified Context piece
  • Uruguay's Environment Minister Edgardo Ortuño discussed the ministry's priorities, including legalizing June as "Month of the Environment" and implementing a deposit-refund system for plastic containers.
  • The "Plan Vale" aims to transform waste management by encouraging selective collection and establishing a deposit-refund system for plastic packaging, with agreements already in place with 17 of Uruguay's 19 departments.
  • The minister acknowledged challenges in implementing the system, particularly differences among businesses, but expressed optimism about reaching agreements on governance, financing, and readmission documents.

Uruguay's Minister of Environment, Edgardo Ortuño, has outlined key initiatives his ministry is pursuing, emphasizing the importance of the current "Rendición de Cuentas" (Accountability Session). Among the priorities are elevating June to the "Month of the Environment" through legal declaration and introducing a deposit-refund system for plastic containers as part of the "Plan Vale."

To politicize access to drinking water is the wrong path.

— Edgardo OrtuñoOrtuño commented on the challenges of implementing environmental policies.

Plan Vale is designed to revolutionize waste management by promoting selective collection and implementing a system where consumers receive money back for returning plastic packaging. This initiative involves agreements with local governments, and currently, 17 out of Uruguay's 19 departments have signed on, with efforts underway to secure participation from Tacuarembó and Paysandú. The minister anticipates the deposit-refund system could begin implementation by the second half of next year, following the import of necessary machinery and the issuance of regulatory decrees.

This Accountability Session is very important because it represents the concretization of government-prioritized objectives, for which we channel resources from the Ministry of Environment (MA): childhood, security, attention to the homeless situation, and education.

— Edgardo OrtuñoThe Environment Minister explained the significance of the current Accountability Session for his ministry's goals.

Ortuño acknowledged that the transition to this new system presents challenges, particularly in aligning the diverse interests of businesses, from large companies to small and medium enterprises, as well as importers and retailers. He noted that differences have emerged within the sector regarding participation in Plan Vale. However, the ministry is actively working to bridge these gaps, aiming to finalize negotiations and reach significant agreements on the plan's governance, financing, and readmission processes.

It will mean a change in people's habits, but it also poses a challenge for companies and an articulation within the private sector at different levels.

— Edgardo OrtuñoThe minister described the transformative nature of the waste management project.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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