Last September it was determined that Costa Rica is the country that recovered and recycled the most glass in Central America, managing to recover 98% of the glass bottles that were placed in the national market that month, a brand only obtained by some countries in Europe.
It is a 100% recyclable material and infinitely. Its post-consumption has a constant value that collectors can trust and, because of this, the recycling of glass generates a whole parallel industry.
According to Gerald Jiménez, head of image and corporate affairs of Grupo VidrieroCentroamericano (VICAL), this activity has generated an economic movement of more than US $ 14 million during the last year in the region, well above that of other packaging materials and an example within the recycling activity in Central America.
“In the case of glass recycling, new containers can be produced with 100% recycled content. In such a way that it is an efficient and true recycling model, from bottle to bottle. This is not a mere cleaning or gathering activity; With glass it is about pure recycling!”, commented Jiménez.
Country is a brand in glass recycling
Currently, more than 100,000 tons of glass are recycled in Central America each year. This is more than 345 million containers and enough glass to go around planet Earth two times if the recycled bottles are lined up around the equator.
More than 1,000 collectors, small and medium-sized companies, almost all of them family-owned and located throughout Central America and the Caribbean, collect glass and sell it to Grupo VICAL to be recycled.All this glass was reintroduced to the glass production process, turning them into new glass containers ready for their next life cycle.
