According to the World Bank, each person in Latin America and the Caribbean produces around 1 kg of waste per day. That is 231 million tons of waste per year. A future in which we live surrounded by waste is not science fiction; in fact, according to current estimates, that is exactly where we are headed.
And yet, in Latin America and the Caribbean the situation seems to be less desperate than in the rest of the world. In urban centers, the region’s waste collection ratio is high, with most cities reaching 85%, and most of the work is done door to door. According to the World Bank, in countries like Uruguay and Colombia, that number even rises to 95%.
A green, and informal, army
The region’s waste collection effort falls mostly to the informal sector, which is particularly significant in Latin America. “Whether you call them scavengers or waste-pickers, there are estimated to be around 4,000 active recyclers in large cities in the region, with massive urban areas like São Paulo reaching up to 20,000 active waste collectors. They are a sort of green army because, even if they don’t know it, they are often working for the planet,” says the World Bank.
But more and more formal recycling and composting initiatives have started to prosper in Latin America and the Caribbean, and they are creating new jobs and bringing economic stability to often impoverished areas.
Recycling, the way of the future
In fact, like Ranjit Baxi of the Global Recycling Foundation has pointed out, recycling usually brings with it economic prosperity: “Aside from fostering sustainability, the recycling industry will add around 850 billion dollars to the global GDP by 2025.” The industry employs 1,6 million people all over the world, a number that will continue to increase, since 20 million dollars are invested each year by the industry into job creation, improving recycling efficiency and environmental impact.
Evidently, this is a robust sector with a huge potential for growth. In fact, the European Union estimates that increasing the current 42% waste recycling rate to 70% could create up to half a million new jobs. In regions like Latin America, where the amount of waste that is actually recycled is much lower, the economic impact of investing in this industry would be even more substantial.
Furthermore, implementing a successful waste management strategy today will guarantee important savings tomorrow. Research suggests that the cost of addressing the issues that result from poor waste management far outweigh the cost of implementing effective recycling systems. Without a doubt, recycling is not just a safe bet for the environment, but also for the economy.