iLatin American Region Enviromental Report, Second Quarter, 2013
Bill to Create National Environmental Observatory Passes Chamber of Senators
On April 16, 2013, Uruguay’s Chamber of Senators passed a bill (No. 2260/2012; the “Bill”) that would create a National Environmental Observatory (Observatorio Ambiental Nacional) within the Ministry of Housing, Land Use Planning and the Environment (Ministerio de Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio Ambiente). (Art. 1) The Observatory would be charged with centralizing and updating information on the state of Uruguay’s environment (Art. 2), and would monitor a host of environmental indicators and indices to be established by regulation (Art. 3). The Observatory would disseminate the information collected through an Information System and, in particular, through the Ministry’s website. (Art. 4) On April 17, the Bill moved to the Chamber of Representatives for consideration.
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Uruguay Issues Decree Regulating Agrochemical Waste
On May 21, 2013, the President of Uruguay issued a decree (No. 40; the “Decree”) regulating waste resulting from the use of chemical and biological products in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. The Decree applies specifically to agrochemical containers, certain agrochemical delivery systems, and stockpiles of obsolete agrochemicals. (Art. 1) Agrochemical product manufacturers, formulators, and importers would be required to enroll in a registry, participate in management plans for covered wastes and obsolete agrochemicals, and adhere to disclosure and labeling requirements. (Arts. 2-3) Distributors and marketers of agrochemical containers and delivery systems would be required to manage and take back the resulting waste. (Art. 4) End users would also be tasked with managing the waste, and would be obligated to return used containers and other wastes to approved collection centers. (Art. 5) “Large” end users would also be required to have a management plan. (Art. 6) The Decree sets out specifications for management plans (Arts. 11-12), as well as for the collection, storage, reuse, recycling, and disposal of agrochemical containers (Arts. 17-32).
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