In the last few weeks, an **environmental alarm was activated in Punta Indio**, Buenos Aires province. Residents and environmental organizations denounce the existence of a [**mega open-air landfill**](https://noticiasambientales.com/medio-ambiente/argentina-tiene-al-menos-5000-basurales-a-cielo-abierto-el-impacto-ambiental-y-en-la-salud/).
This is located in the town of Verónica. They insist that it is “**out of control**” and have made repeated warnings about the socio-environmental danger.
Environmental alert due to a “mega landfill” in Punta Indio
According to local media reports, approximately **30 tons of urban solid waste** are generated daily in Punta Indio.
The municipality processes them in a facility where there is a separation plant that, according to the **Nuevo Ambiente NGO**, “does not fulfill the functions for which it was created and equipped.”
The socio-environmental problem of landfills.
Members of the organization toured the site and made strong allegations. The site is located 200 meters from Provincial Route 36 and 4 kilometers from the urban area.
“The site has an area of approximately four to five hectares and the presence of several mountains of about five to six meters in height along a **300-meter** front of bags of urban waste of all kinds was observed and **confirmed**,” they told the newspaper *El DÃa*.
“And at 50 meters, in another section of the site, another large volume of two-meter mountains of urban solid waste accumulates due to lack of space. Everything is **stockpiled without any infrastructure or treatment**, nor measures to avoid health and environmental problems,” they specified.
The warehouse where the separation plant should operate, which they claim is not functioning correctly, would have a **bag breakage mill, conveyor belt, and baler**.
So far, no response or statement from the authorities responsible has been known.
The problem of open-air landfills: Argentina has at least 5000
In Argentina, there are at least **5000 cases of open-air landfills**. One-third of the urban waste generated in Latin America and the Caribbean ends up in these spaces, according to the United Nations.
And the consequences are devastating, both for the environment in general and for **human health**.
These are sites where solid waste is disposed of indiscriminately, without operational control and with **limited environmental protection measures**.
By not being properly treated, this poses a risk to people’s health, as it **contaminates resources such as water**, soil, and air.
According to official figures, in Argentina there are around 5000. Unlike other disposal and treatment sites, open-air landfills **lack minimum security measures**. Therefore, all types of waste, including pathogenic and dangerous ones, can be found.
Consequences on the environment
The danger of open-air landfills.
The decomposition process that waste undergoes when stagnant in landfills leads to the emission of **toxic gases**. Thus, they generate **5% of global greenhouse gas emissions**, responsible for **global warming**.
Moreover, due to the lack of impermeable soil, they become a source of contamination, also due to the generation of **leachate**.
Leachate is produced when waste undergoes the decomposition process, and water (from rainfall, surface drainage, or groundwater) percolates through the decomposing solid waste.
This liquid contains dissolved and suspended materials that, if not properly controlled, can pass through the base floor and contaminate sources of **potable water or surface waters**.
