“Production of biodegradable and compostable bags, waste management and Plant for the production of compost”

The actual project aims to: Introducing bio-plastics in South America as a biodegradable and compostable option to replace polyethylene bags. Construction of a plant for the compost production. Manufacturing of biodegradable and compostable bags through the technological restructuring of a factory whose plant has been taken over by a workers cooperative after bankruptcy Launching an educational campaign, promoted by a non-governmental organization, aimed at: raising awareness on environmental damages derived from the use of non biodegradable plastic bags; the promotion of waste reduction, separate waste collection, composting and recycling. The question of how to deal with waste is not a problem of a singular country or a particular community. Indeed, it is a global problem and the right solution to it must necessarily involve not only different social actors but also different resources, technologies, and values such as solidarity and respect. We have been generating waste so rapidly, that stop and think what to do with it still constitutes a pending issue. In South America, thousands of plastic bags are given out for free each day in every supermarket. Made basically from oil and gas, these bags could be recycled in less than 1%. It is much more expensive to recycle a plastic bag than producing a new one. The total degradation of this kind of bags could take years. Believing that these bags are for free is a huge collective illusion. We pay every single milligram of these bags at a very expensive price. We pay for the manufacturing of each bag. We pay so that after using it, somebody takes care of it. And we pay when this product ends on the river bank or blocking a storm drain or, in the best of all alternatives, when it is recycled and then turned into a new plastic bag. Over the last 35 years, plastic is the waste component that has seen the most significant growth. Damages to the environment caused by petropolymers are huge. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has conducted a study where lots of photographs have been taken showing thousands of miles of seas and oceans around the globe. The conclusion is awful: there are 18 thousands of plastic waste every square meter of salt water. In Argentina, in 2006, 13,5% of total waste was plastic, mainly polyethylene plastic bags. At the same time, each person generates per day approximately one kilo of garbage being 60% of organic origin. It is important to elaborate a recovery system and appraisement of the organic waste. Composting is the sustainable solution and consists on fermenting a mixture of residuals organic vegetables and animal, of what a homogeneous (compost) product of granulated structure is obtained that can be incorporate to the soil to improve its characteristics and structure, increasing the abundance of fertilizing elements. Argentina possesses 34 million hectares dedicated to cultivation that must be fertilized. Still, there are alternatives ahead. The main challenge is reconciling environment and industrial development