Where you can recycle In Puerto Rico? What can be done to reduce what is consumed? How can materials be disposed of responsibly?
These are some of the questions that the nonprofit organization Clean seeks to respond through “Waste Reduction Guide in Puerto Rico”a resource – recently published – that includes various tips to generate less waste.
“(The guide) is a guided tour through what is known as the sustainable materials management hierarchy, which focuses on waste reduction. In it, you will find local actions, companies and resources that support citizens to reduce, recycle and dispose of waste responsibly.”he explained Auraluz GuzmanDirector of Education and Community Partnerships at LimPiaR.
The initiative was born in response to the lack of information and education about recycling, Guzmán said. At the events of coastal cleanup of the organization, he said, participants frequently asked what they could do with the recyclable materials they had in their homes.
“A series of questions were raised that let us know that people needed more information”he stressed.
For its part, Maria Ocasio Torresenvironmental educator at LimPiaR, explained that the guide uses the waste management hierarchy as a reference, a tool that lists options in order to reduce waste. The hierarchy includes reduce, reuse and recyclein other aspects.
“Within each 'r', we include different businesses or organizations that carry out that 'r'. The idea is that each person can enter those 'r's, learn to do those actions or support those businesses.”expressed Ocasio Torres.
1/7 | PHOTOS: What can be recycled in Puerto Rico. Plastic containers number 1 and 2 – Water bottles, soda bottles, and laundry liquid containers are some examples. They must be delivered clean, without labels or covers.
In Puerto Rico, people generate approximately 55,064 tons of waste per week, which is equivalent to about 4.9 pounds per person per day. The landfills receive a “significant” amount of recyclable materials, particularly plastics, paper and metals, according to the new solid waste characterization studymade in 2023 and published in January.
The DRNA confirmed, in 2022, that recycling did not exceed 10% and that the rate has remained the same since 2013, reported The new day at that time, as part of the investigative series “Treasure in waste.”
“Obviously, we are aware of the situation of most of the landfills on the island, as they are reaching their capacity and, even, some of them are not in compliance with federal environmental protection standards, which means that we have a “garbage crisis”Guzmán pointed out.
He added that “it seems to us that the efforts have not been sufficient to address this issue from the empowerment of citizens, of the citizen to take action and be proactive to prevent the volume of waste that reaches landfills from continuing to arrive.”
The guide includes information about the materials that can be recycled in Puerto Rico and the companies that do this work, as well as places to donate and buy second-hand clothing and household items. It also mentions businesses that repurpose materials and stores that sell eco-friendly products.