[December thematic report] Solid waste management in Huancayoby Anghy Aquino | 27-12-2022 23:50 |
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 Solid waste management has always been a major problem in the province of Huancayo (Junín, Peru), from collection to disposal. Garbage collection trucks only travel the main streets of the city. As a result, people living in areas far from the city center, mostly farmers and artisanal miners, throw their waste into Huancayo's rivers and forests, generating dangerous infectious outbreaks and affecting plants and animals. Many cows that graze near the forests often eat the dumped waste, including plastic bags, which leads to their subsequent deaths. The waste also alters the physical and chemical properties and fertility of the soil, preventing the growth of more plants and trees.
But there is an even more serious problem than inadequate waste collection: poor waste disposal. For many years, the main dumps in the province of Huancayo have been "El Edén" and "Agua de las Vírgenes". "El Edén" is located at the intersection of the Mantaro and Shullcas rivers, and "Agua de las Virgenes" is located a few meters north of "El Edén". The location of these dumps is worrisome and alarming because, although both rivers are already polluted, Mantaro due to mining tailings and Shullcas due to city drainage, it does not mean that we should continue polluting them. There are even still some birds that visit these rivers. We should take care and try to restore these rivers as much as we can instead of continuing to destroy them. But the location of these dumps is not the only problem; added to this is the lack of treatment that the solid waste receives. After the collection trucks unload the organic and inorganic solid waste at the dumps, it does not receive any type of treatment and is left out in the open. The decomposition of solid waste without any type of treatment generates the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, as well as toxic gases (benzene, trichloroethylene, and furans, among others).
Complaint by Peru's Environmental Evaluation and Oversight Agency against municipalities for inadequate disposal of solid waste So serious was the risk that these dumps posed to both the environment and the people living around them that Peru's Environmental Evaluation and Oversight Agency (Organismo de Evaluación y Fiscalización Ambiental - OEFA) denounced the Provincial Municipality of Huancayo and the District Municipality of El Tambo in 2014 for inadequate final disposal of solid waste. OEFA's findings after supervising both dumps were shocking. The solid waste found in the dumps included plastics, paper, glass, fabrics, diapers, metals, paint deposits, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), highly hazardous hospital waste, etc. In addition, the OEFA found that the dumps directly affected the population of the Yauris sector, the El Edén neighborhood, and La Ribera, where bad odors and the presence of vectors (flies, rats, etc.) were perceived. Since 2011, the OEFA had recommended to the Provincial Municipality of Huancayo to build a solid waste treatment plant and implement a recovery plan for the areas degraded by the landfill, but as of the date of the inspection there were no results.
Tiranapampa Solid Waste Treatment Plant: Hope for better solid waste management in Huancayo After some 10 long years of obtaining permits and licenses, purchasing land and equipment, and building infrastructure, the Tiranapampa Solid Waste Treatment Plant, located in the province of Sapallanga, Huancayo, is finally completed and ready to operate. Tiranapampa is the first dry landfill Solid Waste Treatment Plant (SWTP) in Peru. This plant has the following components: segregation, pressing, baling, composting, final disposal, and complementary areas such as administrative, warehouse, weighing, and registration system with a storage capacity of 510 thousand cubic meters. Garbage collection trucks will now take the waste to Tiranapampa for subsequent treatment instead of dumping it in landfills. The completion of the construction of this plant, last November, was great news for all the residents of Huancayo, as it will bring many benefits, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (methane and carbon dioxide), the reduction of bad odors and the presence of flies, rats, etc., the generation of jobs, and the promotion of ecological agriculture and ecological tourism. In addition, the Provincial Municipality of Huancayo, at the recommendation of the OEFA, is already in the process of closing the old dumps located near the plant in accordance with the regulations. OEFA is supervising all these activities.
It is really good that the Huancayo authorities have started to do their job, although it is their duty and should not be a reason to congratulate them. It took them a long time, but they did it. At last, Huancayo has a solid waste treatment plant and will have a better and more decent solid waste management system. However, there is still a lot to do, as there are still several dumps in Huancayo to which solid waste is sent without treatment. Moreover, "El Edén" and "Agua de las Vírgenes" continue to pose a risk to the population, as many irresponsible companies and individuals continue to dump their waste in these dumps. Another problem that needs to be solved is the fact that the collection trucks only travel along the main streets of the city. People living in remote areas also deserve to have access to an adequate solid waste management system. As can be seen, the problem is not that simple; while a solid waste treatment plant goes a long way toward improving a city's solid waste management system, it does not solve all the problems involved. But at least a big step has been taken in Huancayo. Reference materials: El OEFA denuncia a la Municipalidad Provincial de Huancayo y a la Municipalidad Distrital de El Tambo por inadecuada disposición final de residuos sólidos. OEFA. (2014, July 16). Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://www.oefa.gob.pe/botadero-el-eden-y-agua-de-las-virgenes/ocac07/#:~:text=El%20botadero%20%E2%80%9CEl%20Ed%C3%A9n%E2%80%9D%20est%C3%A1,los%20r%C3%ADos%20Mantaro%20y%20Shullcas Planta de tratamiento de residuos construida al 100%. Noticias - Municipalidad Provincial de Huancayo - Gobierno del Perú. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://www.gob.pe/institucion/munihuancayo/noticias/671251-planta-de-tratamiento-de-residuos-construida-al-100 |
