Open Dumps Closure and Rehabilitation in Municipalities With Less Than 10,000 Inhabitants in Bolivia

Zero Waste in Bolivia Project, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Bolivia

Abstract: In Bolivia, Law 755 on integrated waste management establishes the obligations of different levels of government. Regarding final disposal, there are 26 municipalities in the country with sanitary landfills and 308 municipalities still have open dumps, being one of the main challenges, and by 2026 all of the country’s municipalities must close dumps and set up sanitary landfills in compliance with national regulations. This work has consolidated the experience of the landfill rehabilitation process in the municipalities of Lagunillas, Boyuibe and Cuevo, which was developed in 2022, with a perspective of sustainability, replicability and scaling up. The methodological design applied has considered the methodology of the Roadmap for the progressive closure of landfills in Latin America and the Caribbean of the Environment Program. The interventions have considered: Stage 1 (Diagnosis and historical evaluation of landfills; social work with informal segregators; identification of closure alternatives); Stage 2 (technical project, actions required for the work); Stage 3 (operation of facilities and environmental control of landfills). With the rehabilitation of the Cuevo, Boyuibe and Lagunillas landfills, a transformation of the sites was achieved, guaranteeing the protection of the environment, in addition to generating jobs for the inhabitants of the territories. The document was prepared within the framework of the Basura Cero Project in Bolivia, financed by the Swedish International Development Agency and implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Swisscontact and Aguatuya Bolivia.