Supporting Argentina from NDC to Action - Methane Reductions through Organic Waste Diversion & Use

Year

2022

2025

Beneficiary

Argentina

Funding

CCAC Funded

Implementing partners

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)

Rationale

According to Argentina's State of the Environment Report (2016), only 37% of Argentinian municipalities have municipal solid waste segregation systems. The majority of its municipalities deposit their waste in open dumps or in sanitary landfills without diverting organic waste. In some major cities such as Buenos Aires, it is estimated that up to 50% of methane emissions derive from organic waste decomposing in landfill.

Methane emissions from organic waste (such as food and plant waste) are largely preventable. The actions to reduce these emissions – preventing waste at the source, diverting waste from landfills, and establishing separate collection, treatment, and energy recovery– also create additional social and economic opportunities.

For waste management entities, the key to success is in convincing stakeholders, from household members to elected officials, that organic waste is valuable, and deserves attention and resources.

By demonstrating how organic waste can be a source of revenue, this project intends to increase the diversion and treatment of this waste stream. This will lead to methane reductions in line with the emissions reduction target set in Argentina's second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of a total decrease of 19% in emissions compared to 2007 levels.

Work carried out under this project supports the emissions reduction target set in Argentina's second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the implementation of its three national organic waste regulations enacted by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

Objectives

This project aims to improve organic waste management in Argentina by supporting local jurisdictions to implement national regulations. This goal will be achieved by helping build capacity among local actors to transform their organic waste streams into valuable products such as biosolids, compost and digestate. The specific objectives of the project are to:

Increase the amount of organic waste that is treated through composting or anaerobic digestion, thus avoiding its disposal.
Demonstrate the value of by-products of organic origin (such as compost, digestate, biosolids, and industrial sewage) through their use as amendments, fertilizers, or soil amendments.
Increase technical capacity to implement organic waste treatment practices.

Action

To demonstrate the feasibility of municipal organic waste management practices, the project will initially focus on the treatment of the organic waste of the Escobar and Buenos Aires markets and of the sludge of the wastewater plant of Chascomus. This could avoid an estimated 1.7 million tons of methane within the project implementation period. To achieve this the project will

Deliver training workshops and guidance to municipalities to promote local waste treatment through composting and anaerobic digestion.
Develop a work plan and a financial sustainability strategy for the Buenos Aires and Escobar food markets to optimize organic waste management.
Advise the Municipality of Chascomus on the development of a composting facility for the treatment of sewage sludge from their wastewater treatment plant.
Test the application of compost and biosolids on landfills and open dumps for their proper closure.
Develop a process to certify and register compost facilities and their products.
Develop a plan to monitor progress in targeted cities.

Project reference: Supporting Argentina from NDC to Action - Methane Reductions through Organic Waste Diversion & Use [AR-21-001]