The Environment and Sustainable Development Committee of the Chamber of Deputies shelved Bill No. 4462/19, which aimed to prohibit the implementation of UREs (energy recovery plants) within a distance of less than 1 km from residential areas.
The author of the bill, Deputy Lincoln Portela (PL-MG), justified the proposal by claiming that this type of plant combines high temperatures with excess oxygen, which could pose risks to the health of Brazilians.
“Incinerators do not solve the problems of toxic materials present in waste. In fact, they only convert these toxic materials into other forms, some of which may be more toxic than the original materials. These newly created compounds can then re-enter the environment. There is no incinerator that does not release some type of pollutant into the atmosphere,” the deputy justified, at the time he filed the bill.
Association celebrates decision
Despite the justification presented, ABREN (Brazilian Waste Energy Association) highlighted that the allegations made by the deputy were based on outdated arguments and lacked technical-scientific .
The entity stated that countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark already operate UREs in urban areas, without any record of an increase in respiratory diseases.
Yuri Schmitke, president of the entity, stated that the decision is a victory for the environment and for waste management, since – if approved – the the project “it would make the installation of these plants in Brazil unfeasible” and “would represent legal uncertainty and a disincentive to investment (in the segment)”.
The executive also highlighted that waste energy recovery projects are not comparable to the old incinerators of the 1970s. “These units are licensed, safe and continuously monitored, using the best technologies available for gas purification and emission control,” he emphasized.
Schmitke also highlighted that international studies have already shown that such plants operate with emission levels up to 70% lower than the legal limits for critical pollutants such as fine particles, heavy metals, dioxins and furans, without posing risks to public health or the environment.
In Brazil, waste-to-energy plant projects are already in advanced stages of licensing, especially in municipalities in the State of São Paulo, such as Barueri and Mauá.
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