Last Tuesday the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (SEMARNAT) in cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), started the workshop of the project to create the operating organisms for urban solid waste integral management. At the workshop the different presentations where focused on priority aims such as legal aspects, viability, and financial self-sufficiency, operational potential and educational aspects, the important role of awareness at all the social classes.

The workshop opening was carried out by Mr. Carlos Sanchez Gasca, Director General of Environment, Urbanism and Tourism of SEMARNAT, who appointed that the current urban waste context in Mexico is full of institutional challenges, highlighting the important and necessary transition to new models of solid waste management considering as a priority the integral management of the urban solid waste and the assurance of the quality, the financial sustainability and the capacity to adapt quickly and efficiently in this times where the country need this changes.

The opening also counted with the participation of the IADB representative, Ms. Maria Eugenia de la Peña, IADB Water and Sanitation Specialist who exposed this initiative and technical cooperation, that started from the SEMARNAT cooperation with the IADB, sharing an common mission thru the development of projects focused to reduce the poverty and social inequality, approach the needs of small and vulnerable countries and improve the development thru the private sector, approach the climatic change, renewable energies and to improve the cooperation and regional integration.

This technical cooperation is composed by 5 stages, starting with the workshop and analysis of the results of the technical questionnaire provided by an representative number of municipalities for the integration of the Business Plans for each operating organism following with the organization of an national and international experiences exchange workshop and finally to support the municipalities involved in the operational organisms integration process.

Once the formation and implementation stage is finished, and web technology tool will be disposed where the operational organisms will be able to upload they results and so get their self-evaluation indicators.

For the development of this project, the IADB has hired IDP to carry out the consultancy and engineering services, IDP is an international holding specialized on environmental and sustainability works that thru its offices in Spain and Brazil will contribute with its experience on integral urban solid waste management.

Regarding the event programme, presentations about the integral urban solid waste management and about the legal frame of the creation of the operational organisms where made, including the following topics: the nature of the Mexican Federal State, the human right for a healthy environment, the municipalities roles at the General Law for Urban Waste Prevention and Management, the environmental sustainability in Mexico, nature and characteristics of the public service, the public collection service, the constitutional basis and the legal basis of the operational organisms, focusing on the opportunity areas and on the other models that are approved by the Mexican law.

Also, at the programme part related to the analysis and dialogue table of the participants from each state, some doubts where solved and some aspects related to concrete aspects of the assisting City Councils where discussed, this topics where basically related with municipal concessions to operate landfills, the operational organisms creation process and the political implications to archive the creation, stability and sustainability of this organisms.

Finally, the event was closed by Mr. Ricardo Ortiz Conde (SEMARNAT), Ms. Maria Eugenia de la Peña (IADB) & Mr. Vicente Jiménez (IDP) who highlighted the important participation of the municipalities and the vital importance of its initiative and compromise with this project.