After an agreement was reached between the national Ministry of Labour and CEAMSE sanitary workers, waste collection was scheduled to continue as normal. Large black garbage bags had piled up on the streets of Buenos Aires since yesterday when workers halted all trucks from entering landfills and transfer facilities.
Workers had voiced concern over the 15 thousand tonnes of garbage produced every day from the city and province of Buenos Aires and demanded that government officials work to reduce emissions, create new landfills, and enforce the Zero Waste Law that was approved in 2005.
The CEAMSE union maintains that there will be an environmental collapse across the capital and its suburbs by mid-2013 if no one challenges the status quo.
In response to the union´s concerns, city government promised “to operate waste treatment plants and lower the amount of trash. ”
According to Pagina 12, Argentina´s Minister of Environment Diego Santilli had urged residents “not to take out trash” to avoid further accumulation of debris in the street, and suggested that the protest had a political background.
The strike was intended to last 48 hours and effect the landfills and transfer plants that process all solid waste from the city and province including North 3, González Catán and Ensenada, and Flores, Pompeya and Almirante Brown, respectively.
There are still massive piles of garbage throughout the city. I hope they get collected soon! What a disgusting disaster.