Direcci ón Nacional de Medio Ambiente

1. Dirección Nacional de Medio Ambiente Mercury Storage and Disposal LAC Two Countries Project Inception workshop Waste, sites and legal framework Beatriz Olivet

3. Mercury and mercury waste in Uruguay Industry sector Health sector General waste • Lamps • Batteries • Switches • Thermometers • Others • Present SW • Future SW (chlor-alkali dismantling) • Thermometers • Amalgam • Sphygmomanometers • Probes • Others

4. Present waste • Mercury emission inventory in the industrial sector • Energy transformation facilities included • Refinery facility included • Use of equipment (ex. Manometers, thermometers) not included • Intentional use of mercury in industry (chlor-alkali plant) as the principal source Project: “Minimization and environmentally sound management of mercury containing wastein Latin America and the Caribbean ”

5. Mercury emission inventory in the industrial sector 2009

6. Mercury emission inventory in the industrial sector 2009 Project: “Minimization and environmentally sound management of mercury containing waste …in Latin America and the Caribbean ... ”

8. Mercury emission inventory in the industrial sector 2009 Scenario of a possible introduction of carbon in the energy matrix (200 MW) and high content  mercury oil Total 1.390 kg Total 1.890 kg Total 1.390 kg Total 1.890 kg

9. Mercury emission inventory in the industrial sector Release routes

10. Mercury emission inventory in the industrial 2009Release routes (*) Solid waste containing mercury from the chlorine plant (682kg) were considered sector-specific treatment. Mercury unaccounted (432kg) as well, based on a detailed study since it is estimated that it is divided between the sludge (which have a significant variability) and contained in the system itself. Project: “Minimization and environmentally sound management of mercury containing waste …in Latin America and the Caribbean ... ”

11. Mercury and mercury waste in Uruguay Industry sector Health sector General waste • Present SW • Future SW (chlor-alkali dismantling) • Thermometers • Amalgam • Sphygmomanometers • Probes • Others • Lamps • Batteries • Switches • Thermometers • Others

12. Future desmantling of the chlor – alkali facility • Mercury containing waste • Equipment, building, • Abandonment plan proposal • Metalic mercury • Probable export depending on the progress of negotiations on mercury at the time

13. Mercury and mercury waste in Uruguay Industry sector Health sector General waste • Present SW • Future SW (chlor-alkali dismantling) • Lamps • Batteries • Switches • Thermometers • Others • Thermometers • Amalgam • Sphygmomanometers • Probes • Others

14. Pilot inventory in the health sector (1) • It was done at the Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República • Background: between 2006 and 2008, eradication program for clinical thermometers and sphygmomanometers Some findings: • The previous intervention was successful.

15. Pilot inventory in the health sector (2) • In 2006, at the HC, sphygmomanometers were repaired  in unsuitable conditions for health and environment. Actually, it may be done in other institutions. • There’s a place assigned to keep elemental mercury • No more amalgams are used in the HC (except hemophilic patients) • There’s no homogeneous criteria about disposal bags to put on mercury containing waste (sharps, infectious, general) • Others emissions sources were also irrelevant (manometers, lamps, batteries, chemicals, etc)

16. Pilot inventory in the health sector (3) General sectorial comments • There are programs to replace clinical thermometers and sphygmomanometers with different levels of development • Amalgam - more investigation is required.  • Medical waste route is in general autoclaving or incineration (infectious waste) or landfill • Other hospitals are gathering (conditions?) medical waste containing mercury (like sphymomanometers)

17. Mercury containing waste in the health sector Posible action lines: • Define eradication in applications where mercury use may be replaced • Window of opportunity to use the metallic mercury in the chlor-alkali facility. To define / solve • Conditions for receiving and tracking waste • Equipment contaminated with mercury Considerations • Intra-hospital Management - MSP responsibility • Infectious hospital waste treatment • Incineration • Autoclaving

18. Mercury and mercury waste in Uruguay Industry sector Health sector General waste • Present SW • Future SW (chlor-alkali dismantling) • Thermometers • Amalgam • Sphygmomanometer • Probes • Others • Lamps • Batteries • Switches • Thermometers • Others

19. Mercury emissions inventory in products • Mercury emissions 2010 • Max emissions: 2.033 kg • Min emissions: 939 kg • Principal release route: general waste. • Principal products: switches, amalgams, thermometers, polyurethanes • It includes all types of products (used in industry, health sector or general) Project: “Sound mangemente of mercury containing products”

20. Inventario de emisiones en productos Mercury emissions inventory in products Project: “Sound mangemente of mercury containing products”

21. Present situation of industrial waste • Local government authorized disposal • Comparable to USW (not hazardous) • Montevideo • Sludge / Others • Treatment by waste managers and authorized local disposal • Disposal site company owned (4): • Ferrous metal recycling / paper pulp / tannery/ gold mining tailings (cyanide purification technology) • Collection, waiting for a solution • Informal / inadequate • Industry disposal site for hazardous waste

22. Industry disposal site for hazardous waste Industry Chamber (CIU) (1) • Project approved by DINAMA • Agreement between CIU, Intendencia Montevideo, MVOTMA, MIEM • Main Background: Waste Management Plan for the Metropolitan Area of Montevideo •  Transitional solution (pending a permanent location) •  Objet: site to receive HSW in an environmentally sound manner •  4 cells (option for a 5th).  •  Horizon 4 - 7 years

23. Industry disposal site for hazardous waste Industry Chamber (CIU) (2) • Sludge cells (2) • Gas extraction, wet scrubbing. • Oxidation with sodium hypochlorite • Other waste cells (2) • Pasive venting. • Leachate treatment - physicochemical or biological • Focus on tannery waste representing 2 / 3 of all HSW

24. Environmental legal framework(1) • General municipal Law (1935) – municipal responsibility over urban cleaning and urban solid waste • Constitution, article 47 • It declares the environmental protection as of “general interest”. • Every physical or legal person has the obligation not to affect seriously the environment • Law Nº 16.112 (1990) – creation of the Ministry of Housing, Territory and Environment

25. Environmental legal framework(2) • Law 16.221 (1991) • Basel Convention • Law 17.220 (1999) – it bans the introduction of hazardous waste • Law 17.283 (2000) – Environment General Protection Law • It declares of general interest the reduction and sound management of chemicals and waste of any kind. • Art. 20 – Chemicals • Art. 21 – Waste

26. Environmental legal framework(3) • Law 17.296 (2001) • Art 401 – Montreal Protocol • Art 402 - municipal and MVOTMA responsibilities for the localization of treatment plants and final disposition sites for urban and industrial waste • Law 17.593 (2002) – • Rotterdam Convention • Law 17.732 (2003) – • Stockholm Convention

27. Environmental legal framework(4) • Decree 135/999 modified 586/009 – Medical waste • Health Ministry: responsible for the waste management inside the medical institutions • Environment Ministry: outside the medical institutions • Law Nº 16.466 (1994) – Environmental Impact Law • Decree 349/005 – Environment impact an environmental authorizations

28. Environmental legal framework(5) • Decree 560/003 – transport of hazardous substances • Decree 307/008 – minimal requirements for health protection of workers from chemical risks. • Law 18.308 – Land Planning and Sustainable Development • Agriculture Ministry Resolution (MGAP 1988) – prohibition of registry and commerce of mercury products in agriculture

29. Environmental legal frameworkPartial(6) • The national legislation is emerging and heterogeneous • There are regulatory gaps and difficulties on definition and scope • Lifecycle of the CS not considered • Management of general information (registration and availability) not considered • There aren’t economic instruments for environmentally sound management Cousillas, M. Presentation, National Workshop on Chemicals Management, UNEP Network -UNEP-DINAMA, December 2010

30. Environmental legal framework Waste Technical Proposal • Not legal but widely used as a guide. • It establishes standards for the integrated management of industrial solid waste, agribusiness and services. • It defines criteria for acceptance of waste at a disposal site • Depending on a basic characterization of the waste • Liquid, explosive, corrosive, oxidizing or flammable waste are not allowed 30

31. Environmental legal framework Waste Technical Proposal • Requirements for acceptance in a security cell: • Category I (medium and high risk) • Considering the Hg as toxic, > 3% m / m • Have shown that there is no viable technology for recovery, recycling or treatment. • <80% moisture, • No free liquids • Leaching test according to PTR • In the case of Hg 5mg / l

32. If the waste does not meet the admission requirements for disposal, DINAMA may authorize, as an exception and as a transitional measure, provided that the following conditions are accomplished: • It has been technically demonstrated by the generator that is not possible to stabilize or treat the residue to meet established criteria. • It has been demonstrated that there’s no viable alternative technologies to make treat and / or recover the mercury. • It has been considered whether the cell has sufficient guarantees to accept the entry of the waste

33. Industrial waste: strategie? • Present waste • Incluir en la evaluación la posibilidad de tratamiento conjunto con los residuos de productos • Define the treatment requirements for entry into a security cell • Evaluate costs • Take advantage of the opportunity window for the between now and the technology conversion of the chlor-alkali plant. Promote it? • Consider the whole pack of residues

34. Future desmantling of the chlor-alkali plant • Definir necesidad de requisitos de tratamiento y disposición de equipos e inmuebles • Definir destino del mercurio metálico resultante del desmantelamiento, en función del desarrollo de las negociaciones sobre mercurio • Define the need and requirements for treatment and disposal for equipment and buildings contaminated with mercury • Define the destination of metallic mercury arising from decommissioning, depending on the progress of negotiations on mercury

35. Many thanks Beatriz Olivet beatriz.olivet@dinama.gub.uy beatriz.olivet@gmail.com