Inhabitat

…and I live and love this city!

More on Curitiba’s garbage collection program:

“Curitiba also shows that cities that generate over one million tons of solid waste annually do not necessarily require expensive mechanical garbage separation facilities.

Waste management was considered a key element in the improved quality of life. Curitibanos now recycle two-thirds of their garbage, in a program that costs no more than the old landfill. But the city is cleaner, its people have more jobs, farmers have more dependable income, and the poor receive food and transportation benefits.

The “Garbage that is not Garbage” and “Garbage Purchase” programs involve curbside pick-up and disposal of recyclables sorted by households and in less accessible areas, exchange of collected garbage for food or transit tickets by low-income residents. The “All Clean” program temporarily hires retired or unemployed persons who concentrate on areas where litter has accumulated.

Trash is separated into only two categories, organic and inorganic, picked up in two different types of trucks. Poor residents in areas unreachable by truck bring their waste to neighborhood centers, where they exchange it for bus tickets or eggs, and milk bought from outlying farms. Trash is separated at a plant built of recycled materials, sorted by workers who are handicapped, recent immigrants and alcoholics. Recovered materials are sold to local industries. Styrofoam is shredded and used for stuffing for quilts.

Since its 1989 start-up, the recyclable waste program has separated 419,000 tons – enough to fill 1,200 twenty-story buildings. Inorganic waste (plastic, glass, paper, aluminum) totals 13% of garbage collected.

Curitiba’s selective garbage collection system now extends to twenty-four surrounding municipalities.”

OH PLEASE…send this to Toronto! Our system, like most on this continent , seems as though it was designed by architects who hate people and, (as is entirely predictable) is continually in the red and its ridership ‘votes” with the alternate automobile ( at enormous extra costs everywhere else on the big picture balance sheet).

KUDOS..Curitiba!

this transport system has already been adopted by Jakarta (fyi, the capitol of Indonesia with its 10 million citizens). Trans-Jakarta commuting system is a BAD copy of the one in Curitiba. Maybe because the implementation is a little bit too late, I think, for a city with the vehicle growth of already over than 1000 units/ day.. It’d be awesome if 85% percent of Jakarta citizen would ride on the buses..

I have been to Curitiba and have had the pleasure of using the bus network system. I would like to be as proud of my city, Brisbane - Australia, as the two Curitibans who posted their comments on December 11th.

Unfortunately the leadership of our city is in the hands of an impotent bunch of councillors headed up by a narcissist Lord Mayor (who is an engineer). The Lord Mayor has created a road network building boom. He has commissioned tunnels and given the go ahead to build an expensive toll bridge within 250m of an existing bridge. Both bridges will pump traffic into the same thoroughfare on the southern side of the bridge.
A feasibility study for the bridge was undertaken by an engineering company who provided a report to our Council. This report shows that overall, building the bridge increases congestion! Despite being on notice as to these figures and despite significant public outcry against the bridge the bridge is to be built.

What city has ever paved its way out of traffic congestion?

Meanwhile, many of the citizens of my city must drive their cars into and around the city as the public transport system is manifestly inadequate.

Curitiba’s story is inspiring and gives me hope that, with the right leadership, cities can be built to serve the best interests of their people and the environment.

i think Curtiba Station, is good because the design is protected commuters from the dust, vehicles smokes and most important is from the weather condition.