Paraguay considers lifting ban on solid waste imports

Paraguay's congress is looking at amending its solid waste management law to allow imports of plastic waste, which are being requested by the local industry.

The head of the lower house's environment committee, Pastor Soria, said that the project would involve changing an article that bans any solid waste imports to the country. He said he expects the bill to be approved in the lower house before the next parliamentary recess, which starts on December 21.

After a meeting between the committee, environment minister Ariel Oviedo and representatives of the local plastics industry, Soria said that the latter "wants to import raw materials, since the plastics industry has expanded considerably. They need to grow. The plastic sector creates 800 jobs and this could be doubled if we give them the legal tools," he said in a release from the lower chamber of congress.