Reconversion of the Rio’s Bay dumping site
Tipo de pratica Landfill
Nombre la actividad profesional Reconversion of the Rio’s Bay dumping site
Nombre del agente principal Brazil Government and Petrobras
Tipo de agente(s) Autoridades públicas
Ubicación Brazil
Etapa de la puesta en práctica Final de la vida útil
Año de puesta en práctica 2012
Actividades realizadas o en vías de realización Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest open-air garbage dump, located in Rio
de Janeiro, was closed in June 2012 after 34 years of operation. Described by
Britain’s Independent newspaper as a “seaside mountain of trash,” Gramacho
had long been an eyesore for environmentalists and experts, bearing evidence
to bad urban planning and negligence. The dump was situated near
the second-largest bay in Brazil, Guanabara Bay. Once clean and sparkling,
over the years the bay had been severely polluted by massive leaks from the
dump as it sagged underneath waste. Opened in 1978, the dump was established
on unstable ground, an eco-sensitive marshland. For almost 20 years,
there were practically no check-ups or supervision from the government. In
addition, no floor lining had been included in the construction to prevent
toxic waste leakage. As the organic waste rotted, it oozed juices that trickled
into the waters of the bay which over the three decades, added up to tonnes.
Today, Gramacho holds about 60 million tonnes of garbage. Of course, the
site cannot just be erased or relocated, but an alternate plan has been developed
to use energy created by decomposing waste. This consists of catching
the carbon dioxide and methane emanating from the rubbish in more than
200 wells, then piping the gases to Seropedica, a facility of Petrobras which
is a state-controlled energy company. This time, a three-layer seal has been
installed to prevent the severe waste leaks which plagued the site in the past.
Sensors are also used to determine whether any abnormality is taking place
in the soil of the new site. The facility operators don’t exclude the possibility
of leaks, but say these will be caught, reprocessed and used as recycled water.
Resultados y repercusiones About 20 percent of the area’s carbon dioxide emissions are caused by rotting
waste. Forecasts predict the new plan for Gramacho will reduce these
by some 1 400 tonnes each year. Carbon credit and biogas sales are projected
to net around $232 million in 15 years. A percentage of that will contribute to
payments to Gramacho’s former workers and their job placement training.