After three years of negotiations, Mexico's Chamber of Deputies has approved a final version of the General Law for the Integral Management of Waste.
The law defines the responsibilities of producers, importers, traders and consumers, and was debated widely by industry associations, including Mexico's National Association for Plastics Industries (Anipac). The law requires companies to keep track of the volume and kinds of waste they generate. Ericka Tapia, Anipac's manager of institutional relations, said the law was amended to include changes suggested by the Mexico City-based association.
For example, Tapia said the law no longer includes the threat of fiscal penalties for companies that do not comply, but instead puts an onus on the government to provide incentives to reduce waste production, although there are no specifics.
The other major modification was to a dangerous-waste clause. Thanks to lobbying, firms now can petition the government to take a material off the list by demonstrating its safety through laboratory tests.
This is not the first time Anipac has been involved in lobbying, she said. She mentioned an attempt to tax packaging, which Anipac opposed, that was defeated in 2001.