The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources issued Resolution No. 1 of 2015, which establishes the Procedure for the Recovery of Recyclable Multi-materials with Commercial Value. This regulation mandates the obligation to segregate at the source the various types of waste resulting from extraction activities, the transformation of raw materials, and the consumption of products and services.
Since its enactment in January 2015, all business entities, intermediaries, end-users, and the general public must initiate the proper management of solid waste by separating it into two containers and/or blue bags: one for inorganic waste and/or materials such as paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, and metals; and the other for the remaining waste, such as kitchen and food scraps, garden pruning waste, among others. The objective of said regulation is none other than to promote the reuse of solid waste that can be repurposed, thereby preventing its final disposal in the country’s landfills. The resolution also establishes selective collection by City Councils (Ayuntamientos); consequently, they are prohibited from mixing multi-materials with the remaining waste in order to facilitate its recycling. Selective collection may also be carried out by companies contracted by the city council, informal segregators, and intermediaries.
Regarding transportation, the approved procedure dictates that once collected in a differentiated manner, the waste is transported to an intermediate location, referred to as a “clean point” (punto limpio) or intermediate point, for the treatment and management of solid waste, or directly to the recycling company.
It remains to evaluate how City Councils will be able to implement this procedure for the selective collection of solid waste. In fact, this has been the challenge faced by cities in other parts of the world and their respective city councils when deciding to carry out this transcendental shift in the field of solid waste management. Although the regulations did not explicitly establish it, it is to be expected that this paradigm shift will require:
- Establishment of a period of time to adapt collection vehicles;
- Renegotiation of contracts with solid waste collection companies;
- Execution of agreements with recycling cooperatives for their inclusion in the management process;
- Scheduling the collection of different types of waste for specific pre-established days—for example, Tuesdays and Thursdays for recyclable materials, and the remaining days for organic waste;
- Awareness and information campaigns by sectors regarding solid waste management;
- Imposition of sanctions for non-compliance.
Until all these issues are defined, the implementation of the new selective collection system may become more complex than expected.
