Cooperation Between ABREN and WtERT Germany continues in WasteCulture

WasteCulture's collaborator Helena Oliveira met with Yuri Schmitke, president of ABREN, to talk about various aspects of waste management in Brazil.

Helena Oliveira

On the 12th of February, I had the pleasure of meeting Yuri Schmitke, a partner and long-time acquaintance of our team. Following is an excerpt on the main topics of our conversation: 

In a conversation about the future of waste management in Brazil, Yuri explained to me the role of technologies already established in Europe and the prospects for the development of the sector in the country. For example, he explained that Germany adopts an integrated waste management model based on a hierarchy that prioritizes recycling, composting, and energy recovery only for the non-recyclable fraction. The most suitable technologies for Brazil are incineration with energy recovery (waste-to-energy) with advanced emission control systems, mechanical-biological treatment for automated material separation and production of fuel derived from waste, co-processing in cement plants, and anaerobic biodigestion of the organic fraction. For Yuri, the main lesson learned from Germany is landfill diversion: raw municipal waste is no longer sent to landfills. This model is fully applicable to Brazil as a complementary solution to recycling and a methane mitigation tool.
Currently, Yuri's work focuses on consolidating the regulatory and institutional environment necessary to enable large-scale anaerobic biodigestion and energy recovery projects in Brazil. This includes advancing the National Zero Methane Program and the National Waste Energy Recovery Program (PNRE), as well as structuring a contracting model that provides legal certainty and economic predictability for investors. They are also paying special attention to the biomethane mandate (1-10% in 10 years) and the biomethane certificate of origin, which will create compulsory demand and economic market instruments to cover the difference with natural gas, as well as the Brazilian sustainable taxonomy, financing through the climate plan, and the regulated carbon market (SBSE), which comes into force in 2027 in Brazil. In addition, they are working on international coordination with the European Union to attract technology and financing to Brazil.
Regarding the future of waste management in the country, Yuri identifies different perspectives over time. In the short term, I expect the first energy recovery plants to start operating and greater advances in biodigestion and biogas utilization. In the medium term, Brazil needs to meet the targets of the National Solid Waste Plan (Planares), which calls for 994 MW of installed waste-to-energy capacity and 69 MW of anaerobic biodigestion by 2040, and drastically reduce improper disposal (41% of MSW sent to landfills), which still accounts for a significant portion of urban waste. In the long term, the goal should be to send only stabilized final waste to landfills, consolidating a circular economy model. 
He also shared the countries potential and challenges, stating that the country has enormous energy potential in waste and can transform environmental liabilities into economic assets. The main challenges are institutional, cultural, and financial, in addition to the need for greater federal coordination. 
Yuri explained that Waste-to-energy can be integrated into the energy transition as a renewable, firm, and non-intermittent source with a high capacity factor, complementing solar and wind power, as well as serving data centers. In addition, it reduces methane emissions from landfills, contributes to climate goals, and can generate tradable environmental certificates. It is a solution aligned with the circular economy, as it acts on the non-recyclable fraction of waste. By integrating waste policy, energy policy, and climate policy, Brazil strengthens its energy security and fulfills international environmental commitments.
Finally he established that the difficulties are not technological, but structural. Brazil has a historical culture of landfilling and consolidated economic interests in final disposal. Added to this is legal uncertainty, judicialization, and the lack of a standardized national contracting model. In addition, these are capital-intensive projects that require long-term contracts and regulatory stability. Yuri believes that, once these obstacles are overcome, the country has all the technical and legal conditions to drastically reduce the use of landfills and move towards a more modern and sustainable model.

The meeting with Yuri was both insightful and inspiring, highlighting the significant opportunities ahead for the development of waste management in Brazil. It also provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between WasteCulture and ABREN, reinforcing the exchange of knowledge between Brazil and Germany. We look forward to continuing this dialogue and to future collaborations.