National Environmental Survey 2020
He also affirmed that in the development of the inspection, surveillance and control functions of this entity to the providers that carry out the recycling activity, the Superintendency has identified relevant alerts regarding the provision and charging of users.
“I invite Colombians to make part of their daily life the culture of recycling and start separating at the source from their homes, in order to mitigate negative impacts on the environment,” he said.
In view of the harsh panorama that has been observed in Colombia regarding recycling, more than 200 companies that produce containers and packaging for different productive sectors such as agriculture, liquor, large commercial surfaces, among others, decided to present to the Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA) 21 pilot projects for the use of the waste they generate.
These initiatives were presented in line with the so-called Extended Producer Responsibility, a guideline that is related to the National Circular Economy Strategy, which contemplates that the producers of containers and packaging, in the same way that they benefit from the sale of their product, take responsibility for the environmental impact they cause, using environmentally friendly materials and generating alternatives that guarantee that these wastes will be transformed into a new product.
How much garbage does a person generate per day
This is also in a scenario where environmental issues are generating more and more interest among citizens, with 80.7% of the population claiming to be informed or very informed on the subject, a figure that in the Metropolitan Region reaches 85%.
How to face these problems? When presented with several options to be ranked by the respondents, and choosing one of them as first preference, they were inclined in the first place to educate people in changing their habits (recycling, transportation, energy, consumption, etc.) with 37%, followed by punitive and regulatory measures: establishing fines for people who do not have sustainable actions and pollute the environment, and promoting a law on environmental crimes. Further behind is investing in research and development to find technological solutions (10%) and introducing – or increasing – financial incentives to companies and individuals who take measures to protect the environment (10%).
And when people are asked about some concrete actions related to the environment, and despite the fact that there is a high degree of information and awareness about environmental problems, the answers are surprising. While 36% considered that it is possible to generate individual actions to care for the environment, the idea that reducing consumption can help the environment is considered correct by only 25% of those surveyed.
State of the Environment 2020 Report
If no one in the world recycled, the world would be in great danger. If we don’t recycle, there is a risk that our homes and habitats could be destroyed, and we might not have the most everyday resources. People could die from toxic fumes and even the horrible stench of garbage.
Products that are not recycled are redirected to landfills where they are kept in the hope that they will disintegrate back into the earth. Due to an excess of garbage that develops in landfills, the smell of garbage can be so toxic that it would be dangerous to the lungs of human beings, eventually causing death. Scientists also believe that waste in landfills is responsible for the release of 700 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air.
If people did not recycle the water in the ground, it would be left dirty from all the waste, leaving people without water to drink. The most important reason to recycle is most likely that if people do not recycle, everyday resources will soon disappear. If everyday resources become scarce, the prices of products will go up.
Percentage of people who recycle in chile
A scene from everyday life: after waiting in line at the supermarket, the cashier asks if the customer wants bags to carry the groceries. The price: 5 cents a piece, an amount that the supermarkets try to justify on the grounds that plastic is harmful to the environment. But looking around, the explanation sounds, to say the least, unconvincing, since the establishment itself uses plastic for almost everything: from the packaging of fresh produce, such as fruit, meat or vegetables, to the very bags they sell to their customers.