Brazilian Federal Government approves the National Solid Waste Plan and creates the Recycling Credit Certificate
On April 13th, 2022, the Brazilian Federal Government published the Decrees No. 11,043/2022, which approves the National Solid Waste Plan – ‘Planares', and No. 11,044/2022, which establishes the Recycling Credit Certificate – ‘Recicla+’.
The Recycling Credit Certificate is the document that guarantees that packaging or products subject to reverse logistics were, indeed, returned to the production cycle. It is worth noting that each ton is equivalent to one credit unit, being the management body responsible for the issuance of Recicla+, which can be acquired by companies for the purposes of proving compliance with reverse logistics goals.
Electronic invoices issued by operators of recyclable products and packaging will be accepted for the purpose of issuing ‘Recicla+’. To ensure the authenticity, uniqueness, and non-coincidence, in addition to the traceability of the collected material, the electronic invoice must be approved by an independent verifier. Thus, the system operation is validated by different stakeholders, and the process is fully electronic and auditable. It should be noted that the independent verifier is prohibited to market results and perform activities of issuance, acquisition, or sales of ‘Recicla+’ Certificate.
‘Planares’, in turn, outlines a path to achieve the objectives set out in the National Solid Waste Plan, introduced by Law No. 12,305, of 2010, through guidelines, strategies, actions and targets to improve solid waste management in the country. In addition to the strategy for the closure of all dumps, the increase in the waste recovery program is expected to be of about 50% in 20 years.
The adoption of municipal solid waste recovery systems - ‘RSU’s enables the use of waste to obtain energy, in accordance with the recently launched Federal Strategy to Encourage the Sustainable Use of Biogas and Biomethane, created by Decree No. 11,003/2022 and the Zero Methane Program, under the coordination of the Ministry of the Environment. The capture and burning of biogas generated in landfills should be strengthened, given that, in addition to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it increases Brazil’s energy matrix, with sustainable sources of fuel and energy.
Decree No. 11,043/2022 is available here, Decree No. 11,044/2022 is here, Law No. 12,305 is here, and Decree No. 11,003/2022 is here, all in portuguese.
The Environmental and Infrastructure & Projects teams are available in case of doubts.