by Timo Marquez Arreaza, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Waste accumulation is one of the biggest environmental concerns in Latin America and is a key contributor to the urban environmental crisis that many Latin American cities face. [1] Despite several programs and studies about the problem and potential solutions such as recycling [2], the concern remains. In response, citizens are sharing practices and creating synergies to tackle present waste management challenges. This essay is a personal view on the topic of recycling formed during a seminar in Venezuela. It is a view on the current waste situation as shown from Latin American practices and participantsâ€TM behavior. It is also a call to educate and continue to search for sustainable solutions to seemingly overwhelming problems like waste accumulation.
[This essay has been adapted from a previous publication at www.vheadline.com]
On 25 and 26 November 2004, I attended an Iberamerican conference entitled “Recycling: A Socially Responsible Commitment,†in Naguanagua, Valencia, Venezuela. During the two-day event, which was organized by the Association for the Defense of the Environment and Nature (ADAN) [3] and ECOCICLA [4], a local foundation that promotes recycling in the municipality, representatives from environmental NGOs and corporations presented their experiences with recycling throughout Latin America.
The event enjoyed the presence of representatives from Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, and Colombia, as well as over 100 attendees from all regions of Venezuela. The audience came from diverse backgrounds and included professionals from both small and large enterprises, university professors, students, and NGOs.
The attendees had many common concerns. They wanted to know how to tackle the increasing problem of waste in the region, how to raise awareness about the importance of waste disposal, how to engage the community in recycling efforts, and how to involve corporations as part of the solution. The event tried to answer these questions and to create a base for further work on these problems.
Julio Castillo, the Mayor of Naguanagua, and Maria Carmen de Polanco, Recycling Director of Owens Illinois Venezuela and Vice-President of ADAN, opened the seminar with presentations on the challenges ahead and the need to create synergies with the various stakeholders in order to provide sustainable solutions to waste management problems. Mr. Castillo highlighted the various initiatives carried out by his municipality while Ms. de Polanco pointed out the importance of corporations and the industrial sector being part of the solution.
The content of the seminar was divided into four parts: (1) general presentations on Corporate Social Responsibility and recycling; (2) experiences with recycling; (3) environmental commitments; and (4) opportunities to promote and finance recycling programs. Most of the presentations had several parts in common, among them the history of waste as a regional problem, the lack of institutional capacity to implement integral waste management programs, and low community activism and education regarding recycling.
Companies like Coca-Cola, Kimberly Clark, and Unilever shared information about successful recycling programs in communities where they work. They noted how these recycling programs can also contribute to community economic development. Owens Illinois, Tetra Pak, and Venezuelaâ€TMs Ecoplast and Produvisa were among the other corporate participants.
Participants supported recycling as a way to minimize resource extraction and energy consumption, create healthier community environments and offer solutions that integrate all stakeholders. Few, however, challenged the economic status quo, in which environmental and community protection is secondary to economic profitability. Ms. Luisa Villalba, Executive Director of ADAN, and Ms. Maria Luisa Armando, President of ECOCICLAS, challenged this view in their talks, pointing out that current indicators are expressed mainly in economic terms instead of focusing on the true value of the environment as a driver for commitment.
Numerous challenges were noted in the working groups that were formed. More than half of the participants took part in the group dealing with education, promotion, and engagement of recycling programs, where the main problems raised were not lack of financing and technology but difficulties in reaching the community and a lack of governmental support and continuity. Various examples were offered by university professors, local community activist, and students trying to launch their own initiatives. In another session, Venezuelaâ€TMs Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources noted that out of 228 landfills it recently surveyed, 200 were illegal. In addition, the Ministry has little national information on the percentage of recyclable material entering the waste stream.
At the end of the second day, Gabriel Rojas, Coordinator of the Executive Associationâ€TMs Environment Commission in Carabobo state, called the attention of the participants to the physical state in which the coffee-break area was left after the 30-minute break (i.e., a big mess). This showed very clearly that the discourse of recycling must start with the “preacher.â€
The seminar ended on a positive note by providing important information and some suggestions on how to continue moving forward. In addition, synergies were created between local suppliers and larger corporations. Overall, the seminar provided a hopeful step toward more recycling in Venezuela and the rest of Latin America.
Footnotes
[1] Geddes, Darryl (1997). “Workshop examines factors causing a crisis in Latin American cities.†Cornell Chronicle, 14 August. http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/97/8.14.97/Latin_cities.html.
[2] “Recycling in Latin America†(2002). http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata223.htm.
[3] Asociación para la Defensa del Ambiente y de la Naturaleza (ADAN): Colinas de Sartenejas, Tecnópolis USB; Edificio BolÃvar, Mezanina; Caracas, Venezuela. http://www.adan.org.ve.
[4] Fundación ECOCICLA: C.C. Omnicentro, Av. Universidad; Talleres del CCEAS; Naguanagua, Valencia, Edo. Carabobo.
Thu, Feb 17, 2005
Vision Journal