Circularity: Beyond recycling

Is recycling the solution to the waste crisis?

Today, on World Recycling Day, we share with you one of the main questions posed by the circular economy: is recycling really the solution to the growing problem of waste?

It is necessary to requestion the role of recycling as the only available solution and to broaden our view to other innovative and regenerative strategies, building a shared responsibility between all the actors that are part of the material chain: producers, consumers and the state.

Waste in Latin America

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 541,000 tons of municipal waste are generated daily, and this figure is expected to increase by 25% by 2050 if we continue with the current linear production model (extract, produce, consume, dispose of). Of this waste generated, less than 1% is converted into resources through composting, incineration or biodigestion operations and only 4.5% is recycled (1). According to UNEP, to maintain current lifestyles, in 2050 (9.6 billion inhabitants) the equivalent of almost three planets (2) will be needed to meet resource extraction and waste treatment needs.

Global policies to address the waste crisis

To address this growing problem, various policies and initiatives are being developed and implemented worldwide, including prohibitions on certain products (such as single-use plastics), development of technical standards and economic incentives for ecodesign, increasing clear communication channels to the consumer, increasing goals for material recovery, and others. These policies align with the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (REP), which consists of “a political principle to promote environmental improvements for full product lifecycles by extending the responsibilities of product manufacturers to several phases of the total lifecycle of the product, and especially to its recovery, recycling and final disposal. The REP is implemented through administrative, economic and informational political instruments.”⁽³⁾

The importance of Extended Producer Responsibility

The innovative thing about this principle is that it focuses on the complete life cycle of products, forcing producers, manufacturers and importers to take responsibility for the materials they bring to the market (4) and for the financing of reverse logistics and the recycling chains that are involved in their recovery and recycling, thus promoting the circularity of materials. These new regulatory scenarios require the joint work of all actors: States must achieve inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities; and companies must ensure more sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Countries that incorporate REP into their regulatory structure are able to significantly increase the recovery rates of recyclable materials while encouraging industries to seek more sustainable solutions through innovation and ecodesign.