The corresponding authorities reported that the disposal of final waste in Medellín and 40 other municipalities in Antioquia is guaranteed until 2029, that is, for the next eight years. This is thanks to the fact that Corantioquia approved the modification of the environmental license to Empresas Varias (Emvarias) EPM Group to continue operation in the La Pradera Landfill.
This landfill, which according to the Mayor's Office of Medellín receives 80% of the final waste produced in Antioquia, has been in operation for almost 20 years after its inception in 2003.
At present, 3,400 tons of waste are disposed of in this landfill per day, of which Medellín has between 1,900 and 2,000 tons.
Socio-environmental compensation plans in the communities surrounding the landfill
With the operation of the La Pradera Emvarias Landfill, it has carried out various socio-environmental compensation projects involving the communities surrounding the site, which could be affected in some way by this activity.
According to the entity, between 2015 and 2021, transfers of more than 41 billion pesos were made to the municipalities of Donmatías, Santo Domingo and Barbosa, as part of the socio-environmental compensation plan for the La Pradera Landfill.
Likewise, the phase prior to the amendment of the environmental license included two years of environmental studies and monitoring on water quality, odour mitigation, air quality, biotic, abiotic and archaeological components, among others, as well as socialization with communities, with which more than three thousand surveys were carried out. for socio-economic characterization of the population of the area.
Construction of a new disposal tank for final waste
The amendment to the environmental license endorsed by Corantioquia allows the construction, operation, closure and post-closure of the new final disposal vessel La Piñuela, whose capacity will be around eight million tons for solid waste reception, in an area of 33 hectares, which would be equivalent to a comparatively 30 courts with the dimensions of the Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellín.
“It gives us great peace of mind as Antioquians to give Empresas Varias the approval of that application for modification of the environmental license for that third glass La Piñuela, which also gives us peace of mind that we will have the appropriate technical conditions for the disposal of the solid waste we generate,” said the director of Corantioch, Ana Ligia Mora.
The adaptation of the new La Piñuela vessel would enter the construction phase between July and December 2023, and would begin operation on January 1, 2024.
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