STORY-TRÅD·ekonomi

Rio joins Global Zero Waste Districts initiative

Rio de Janeiro is among the seven cities worldwide selected as pilot sites for the global Zero Waste Districts program, which focuses on waste management and methane reduction. According to the Climate Observatory’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals Estimation System (SEEG), Rio de Janeiro ranks first among Brazilian cities in greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector. Notícias relacionadas:Brazil’s greenhouse emissions fall in 2024, but target remains at risk.Also participating in the initiative are the cities of George Town and Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia); Santiago and Patagonia (in Chile); and Kisumu (in Kenya). The program is an initiative of the Zero Waste Foundation with support from the international network Global Methane Hub (GMH). The goal is to develop governance, measurement, and financing models for waste management – particularly organic waste – in the districts of the other six pilot cities ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled for November in Antalya, Turkey. Proposals must be capable of diverting at least 70 percent of waste from landfills by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040. As a result, cities will emit less methane and reduce air pollution, with positive outcomes for the environment and public health. “Zero Waste Districts offer cities a practical way to deliver these health benefits while creating jobs, recovering valuable resources, and developing solutions that can be scaled up,” says Marcelo Mena, executive director of GMH. The models will be tested, evaluated, and shared for adoption by neighborhoods in other cities and locations around the world, with the goal of achieving global agreements to reduce methane. The announcement of the pilot cities was made in New York on Thursday (Sep. 24) during Climate Week, an event that is part of the United Nations’ global climate agenda. According to Adalberto Maluf, national secretary of the environment at the Ministry of the Environment, Rio de Janeiro’s participation in the program represents an important step toward implementing climate actions. “It was a central element of the COP30 presidency and remains so for the COP31 presidency,” he said. Model Maluf points out that Brazil is already familiar with the multiple solutions for reducing methane emissions, with a chain of measures ranging from waste generation to circular economy initiatives. “Furthermore, preventing food waste is perhaps the most valuable measure, one that also strengthens food security,” the secretary notes. One example is the implementation of monthly satellite monitoring of methane plumes, which began in 2023 at the Comlurb Waste Treatment Center (CTR-Rio) in Seropédica, in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. The initiative helped identify where to take action at the landfill to reduce emissions, and – in collaboration with GMH and Comlurb – it incorporated nearly 500 wells into the biogas collection network in 2025, increasing the use of methane for energy purposes by 7.35 percent compared to 2024. “CTR-Rio is just one example of a strategy that can be replicated at landfills around the world and lead to healthier and more sustainable communities,” GMH’s regional director for Latin America, Henrique Bezerra, concluded saying.