To focus the problem of garbage, we must bear in mind that waste is a problem of scale and order. Order, in the sense that we all like our house to be in order, for everything to be in its place and for there to be a certain level of organization. In terms of scale, I mean that every year the number of people on the planet increases and we’ve reached the point where there are so many of us and we are consuming so many of our planet’s finite and limited resources, that we are beginning to seriously alter our environment and cause irreversible changes. Scientists have announced that our planet Earth has already entered a new geological era, called Anthropocene.[1]
Continue reading “Recycling in brief”Category: Actual situation
Waste as resources: moving towards a circular economy
The availability of resources that we extract from the planet is decreasing, and by contrast, the consumption of resources is increasing, especially in developed countries. Therefore, the availability of (non-renewable) resources is one of the crucial challenges facing our society in order to, on the one hand, be able to guarantee the quality of life and survival of its inhabitants, and on the other hand, to have competitive and sustainable economies, in the not too distant future. We need resources.
Continue reading “Waste as resources: moving towards a circular economy”GDP and waste
Waste recycling not only has positive effects on the environment but also at an economic level, since it contributes to the GDP, and at a social level, as a generator of employment. Continue reading “GDP and waste”
Global warming and waste
The greenhouse effect is necessary for life on Earth. However, humans’ actions are increasing this greenhouse effect, and the consequence is that the Earth is warming up. Continue reading “Global warming and waste”
Food waste
Within the scope of waste prevention –generating less garbage –one of the current main battles is the huge quantity of food waste that we produce. We’re not aware of it, but FAO[1] has established that, worldwide, 1/3 of the food produced for human consumption is wasted. Continue reading “Food waste”
The biggest plastic dump in the world: The ocean
New times, new challenges.
We have seen how plastic production has increased[1] to 300 million tons in 2013, of which 78 million is destined for the production of plastic[2] packaging. The extraordinary growth of this type of garbage has resulted in many plastics escaping collection and treatment systems and ending up in other places, like the seas or oceans and becoming a big landfill.
Continue reading “The biggest plastic dump in the world: The ocean”