Phase 4: Recycling
The most important part of recycling is: YOU! Many of us think of garbage as materials to be discarded as soon as possible. However, many items are easy to reuse or, with a little processing, recyclable. Think twice before you stuff your Kliko with valuable material.
Did you know?
- Clean communities promote a positive community identity that can result in increased economic development.
- On Curaçao we produce more than 54.750 tons of waste a year and that, without recycling, 69% will end up in our landfill.
- Trash, if not properly managed, provides breeding grounds for rats, cockroaches and other pests and can contaminate the environment and impact public health.
- Recycling is one of the best ways to reduce trash and conserve our natural resources.
Do you have it all sorted out?
Many of us are too busy or too lazy to bother with recycling. We make excuses that one individual won’t have any impact on the collective anyway. But that’s not true. Similar to waste prevention, simple everyday decisions impact how much recyclable materials we’ll end up with as a community. And once you are aware of the many ways you can contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable living environment with small easy changes in your habits, doing the right thing will become a breeze!
Next time you’re at the store, take a look at the products you are buying. Do they use recycled materials for their packaging? Can you reuse the product? Choose wisely. Without the demand for recycled items, materials are never truly recycled. By purchasing recycled goods, you help motivate businesses to include recyclables in their manufacturing process, their packaging as well as their business model.
At home, make sure you have sorting bins to sort all recyclable materials. Plastic bottles should go into one bin, paper in the next and aluminum cans in a different one and so on. Make sure everyone in your household is on board. If you have young children, involve them in the process!
Inspire others at work or at school to recycle. If there are no policies in place, inspire the change. Not only will you feel good about it, you’ll also have made a real difference. Begin with simple, low-cost steps to reduce waste and make recycling easier. At work, once you’ve got people on board, try to have the right people incorporate environmental considerations early in the product development phase, rather than trying to address waste after it has been generated.
Kaya di Medioambiente
At our waste drop off center Kaya di Medioambiente you can dispose of most household and small business trash, such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans, in a responsible manner. And it’s convenient too! Simply drive through the recycling area and drop off your trash in the designated containers. Having your trash sorted and ready to go makes for easy drop off.
