Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

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TIMELINE OF K’ARA K’ARA LANDFILL COCHABAMBA - BOLIVIA

Reducing volumes of waste and promoting source separation Swisscontact has made a significant contribution to addressing thewaste problem inCochabamba.Their activities have included the implementation of separate collection schemes in Cochabamba neighbourhoods, operated by informal recyclers and supervised by the neighbourhood council. The project demonstrated the economic potential of solid waste by establishing new structures for collection, treatment and recycling. A 50 per cent reduction of mixed waste was realized in one district and separation at source was included in SWM plans. (Rodic, 2015a) Collection routes were also established for informal recyclers, with households separating recyclables and passing them on. This programme allowed waste pickers to generate an income of about 1,200 Bolivian Boliviano per month (175 USD) and contributed to higher recycling rates as well as an acknowledgement of the role of informal waste pickers. This programme is now integrated into the municipality’s waste management system. Between 2009 and 2012, a total of 443 jobs were created, 29,000 tons of solid waste were collected and treated, and information on the separation of waste at source was provided to 475,000 households (Rodic, 2015a). Bolivia is making a concerted effort to move away from dumping and landfilling, towards initiatives that focus on small-scale open air composting of organic waste. Municipal waste trucks have started to collect organics, recyclables and residual waste separately, and private recycling companies are emerging which use materials from industry and storage centres (they receive materials from waste pickers). The future of the Bolivian waste market appears to be positive – with new investments and initiatives, and good intentions are all around (BreAd B.V. and MetaSus, 2015). In 2012, Bolivia invested USD 20 million in waste management (Environment News Service, 2012) and the growth in demand for waste is estimated to be 1 per cent per year (BreAd B.V. and MetaSus, 2015). Although these numbers are promising, efforts are still small-scale and scattered, and new initiatives are needed. Opportunities exist for private companies (which already play an important role in waste collection and operation services) to engage in waste management (for example, biogas production) and cooperation is needed to make waste composting and sanitary landfills more viable. These developments will create a more effective waste management system, which may increase the willingness of the population to pay for waste services.

2700

1987

K’ara K’ara landfill established

2800

1999

Residents’ protests and landfill blockade

2600

2700

1999

Revealed groundwater contamination

16 12

Number of days of landfill blockade due to protests

8 4 0 Number of Days

1999

2002

2005

2008

Improved infrastructure around landfill --> Increasing urban development

2003

2009

Government mandates landfill closure

2600

2010

Landfill closure not enforced

2015

Local authorities mandate landfill closure - closure not enforced

2600

2016

Landfill fire – air pollution affects 2000 families

High risk of contamination of groundwater Built up area Elevation Seasonal stream River / Canal

2600

2700

2700

K’ara K’ara landfill

2700

2700

2800

BRAZIL

2800

2900

1 km

BOLIVIA

Cochabamba

Sources: Ghielmi G. & et al (2008) Diagnóstico sobre el nivel de contaminación de acuíferos en el distrito 9, Acta Nova (4)1; Valderrama G. (2010) El botadero de Kjara-Kjara: Un foco de contaminación que genera conflictos sociales y compensaciones urbanísticas, Medio Ambiente y Urbanización 71(1); Environmental Justice Atlas, https://ejatlas.org/

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