Producing articles with avocado and corn seed resin, and products with additives that allow the decomposition of plastic in less time, are some of the strategies proposed by the sector to overcome the obstacles faced in the region.
As in the rest of the world, there have been several attempts in Central America to ban the use of some plastic products.
The plastic industry in the new geopolitical and economic environment is the theme of the free conference to be held on September 29th for Costa Rican entrepreneurs.
The organizers of the international exhibition PlastImagen, which will be held from November 7 to 10 in Mexico City, are inviting businesspeople from Costa Rica to attend the conference entiled "The plastic industry in a new geopolitical and geo-economic environment."
The Indian company Gravita Nicaragua has started operating its new plastic, aluminum and cardboard recycling plant in Managua.
Gravita Nicaragua, part of Grupo Gravita India Ltd, invested $2.2 million in setting up the recycling plant.The company processespolyethylene, cardboard and paper, aluminum, copper and bronzecontainers, among other things.
While businesses and organizations try to reduce consumption of products such as plastic straws, bags or food packaging, the plastic industry is warning about the economic, health and environmental risks of these measures.
Measures to discourage the consumption of plastic products such as straws and bags pose significant challenges to companies that implement them, such as increasing costs when replacing plastic products with other reusable or recyclable products.
In 2016 the value of imported plastic and its manufactures in the region amounted to $3.668 million, equivalent to 1.7 million tons, 9% more than the volume purchased in 2015.
Figures from the information system on the Central American Market for Plastics and its Manufactures, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with the graph"]
So far in 2016 exports of scrap metal, cardboard, glass, iron and other materials to be used for recycling, amounted to nearly $20 million, while in 2015 $24 million worth was exported.
Although it is an export sector that is growing in the country, businessmen linked to the sector believe that much of this waste being exported for recycling in other countries could be treated in Nicaragua and could generate additional revenue.
In 2015 the countries of the region exported $1000 million worth of plastic and plastic products, led by Costa Rica and El Salvador, with $354 million and $337 million respectively.
MarketDataon Plastics and Plastic Products in Central America,compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData.com, shows that in 2015 the countries of the region exported 480 thousand tons ofplastics and articles made of plastic, with a total value of $1056 million.
The Mayor of Managua has approved granting a concession of 30 years to W2ee Ecoenergy Development Nicaragua to build a plant to generation fuel from plastic waste.
The plant must still obtain an environmental license, explained the representative of the concessionaire, Andres Fernandez. The plant will process disposable plastic to generate up to 100 barrels of diesel per day.
In a country where about 1,200 tons of electronic waste are generated each year, there are no plants to recycle and properly dispose them.
In 2014 approximately 33 metric tons of technological waste, most notably batteries, televisions, computers, cell phones, etc. were collected. The country currently does not have a plant to treat this type of waste.
Flour made from plantains can be used to produce biodegradable plastic products with high capacity.
From an article by the Costa Rica Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
Biodegradable plastic made from plantain flour
Experts from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico (IPN) have created a flour made from plantain, which can be used to produce biodegradable plastic products with high capacity.
Disposal of used tires can be converted into a business which helps to alleviate the serious environmental problem they cause.
It is estimated that every year in Central America approximately nine million tires are thrown away. For example, in Panama, a country that has a poor used tire collection system, they are thrown into streams or the sea and they even end up on Patacón mountain.
Nicaragua does not recycle its discarded glass, and the little that is collected is exported to three recycling plants in other Central American countries.
Elnuevodiario.com.ni reports that "If there was a glass processing plant in Nicaragua, without a doubt the number of collectors would multiply and their income would improve, but for now the amount of material collected for selling at the three factories operating in Central America, is only 2.457 metric tons per year, the lowest of all countries on the isthmus. "
In Nicaragua exports of materials for recycling have now reached $40 million a year.
Businesses involved in recycling are pressing the Nicaraguan government to promote a solid waste law to regulate an industry that exports more than $42 million and employs 12,000 workers.
The proposals were formed this week during an international meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Recyclers in Managua.
The next stage for recycling will see companies recovering their own used products and recycling them in a responsible and innovative manner.
Even though in times of recession economic interests tend to mean environmental issues get ignored, the search for sustainable lifestyles will remain a pressing issue in the coming years.
Consumers are increasingly aware not only of the financial value of their purchases, but the ecological and material value of things, and of their responsibility to care for the environment. This whole-view awareness is known as "eco-psychology."