| The Republic of Costa Rica has long been known internationally for its advances in the environmental field and for being one of the greenest countries in the world(World Economic Forum,2016).It also stands out at the world level in the present era because it is one of the few countries in the world that does not have an army and allocates all the budget that would have been destined to purchase weapons,to investment in the field of education.This master's degree thesis is based on the study of the amount of demand for polyethylene terephthalate material,also known as PET,in the city of Cartago,Cartago Province in the Republic of Costa Rica.The research objective of this work is the study of the current status of Costa Rica's position when it comes to recycling and the policies and/or laws that advocate for environmental protection,at the same time analyzing obstacles or challenges that Costa Rica faces.Plastics and plastic made materials are short-lived elements,their greatest negative impact is that they leave a large amount of waste in the surrounding environment.These qualities of plastics should satisfy long-term requirements but since they are such shortlived,they end up being both depleted and neglected.Solid waste accumulation in the urban Costa Rican areas,began to be perceived only as a problem mostly located in the central part of the capital of San José,but it has been a problem that has extended and effected other parts of this city and has expanded to the other 6 provinces of the country(Heredia,Alajuela,Cartago,Limón,Puntarenas and Guanacaste).This problem is further accentuated by the idiosyncrasy of the Costa Rican citizens where,unfortunately,aspects such as: the scarce environmental culture,the relatively scarce and little-known recycling programs in the country and the little interest in the socioeconomic benefits of recycling on the part of the citizenship.Plastics are seen as products with a broad limitation in terms of their degradation capacity,causing them to last for many years as highly polluting waste.The majority of them are obtained from petroleum derivatives,a natural resource that every moment increases in price and decreases in quantity.It is vital that to ensure the recovery of plastic waste;firstly,for the pollution generated by these plastics and secondly because of the economic value they represent.According to “Marviva”,a Swiss Capital Foundation located in the Republic of Costa Rica,it supervises environmental protection and advocates for its protection at a wide level.Costa Rica produces about 800 tons of garbage per day,of which 564 tons correspond to plastic.It is obvious that the waste PET material in the wastewater is worryingly present in the drainage system,reaching the degree of system blockage,which makes the drainage process more difficult,especially during winter or rainy periods,thus causing flooding.Therefore,the Red Cross and the National Emergency Situation Committee(Comisión Nacional de Emergencias or CNE by its initials in Spanish)must continually activate emergency protocols to be able to take care of people at risk;generating a larger number of containers on the riverbeds throughout the nation's territory.Costa Rica being a developing country and having an economy that could be considered as very open,this has caused that economic crises that affect first world countries,impact at a local level.Such is the case of the American crisis of the year 2007,where Costa Rica suffered repercussions that greatly affected its financial stability.Therefore,Costa Rican entrepreneurs decided to do bottling processes and distribution of beverages by incorporating the use of returnable glass containers to face the economic crisis and thus try their best to increase their production.Returnable glass containers have advantages over packaging made of PET-type plastic containers,but they also have other disadvantages.Although the cost of the raw material to produce returnable glass containers was cheaper during the crisis period,glass has been determined to be less hygienic than a PET made container.Although these containers go through a cleaning process,many consider that a disposable PET made container is better than cleaning a glass container as many times as necessary during its life cycle.The main objective of this research is to carry out an analysis which enables the understanding of the current position that the Republic of Costa Rica has regarding its environmental policies,operations,obstacles and results of reverse logistics when it comes to PET(polyethylene terephthalate)recycling.Similarly,it will be investigated how plastic containers can be recycled through the reverse logistics approach,carried out in the company itself or done through third parties.Interviews were carried out to employees from the public sector or government entities;the private sector was part of these interviews as the recycling companies in Cartago City belong to the private fieldThe population of the object study was based in the province of Cartago,specifically in the city of Cartago.The people interviewed were people of the female and male gender who were 10 years of age or older.In order to carry out this research,it has been counted on the help of forty interviewers,who were strategically distributed to take into account the residents of the north,south,east and west cardinal points of the city of Cartago.The interviewers were adequately trained so that the questionnaire was carried out without any type of bias or value judgment that influenced the answers given by the participants.Stratified sampling was carried out in places with a higher concentration of individuals.From this sampling,the classification corresponding to the purchasing power of each of them was made,varying from: the low population stratum,the low middle population stratum,the average population stratum,the medium high stratum and ending with the high population stratum.In the Republic of Costa Rica,the practice of reverse logistics is still incipient and there are not many companies that have implemented it at the present moment.In those instances,where the reverse logistics process has been incorporated,the company is related to its logistics operator who analyzes the customer's needs and therefore,provides the solutions it considers relevant.Reverse logistics can be defined as that process that takes into account the control,development and planning in the flow of materials,products and information from its point of origin to the place of consumption,in such a way that the needs of customers can be met,proceeding to the recovery of the collected waste and then being managed to make feasible its possible reintroduction in the supply chain,achieving that this product obtains an added value or otherwise,discarding it in an appropriate way(Cabeza,2012).Companies must consider at all times,the implementation of strategies that minimize the negative consequences for the environment,sustainable and lasting alternatives;they can do this by modifying their links with the surrounding communities,also by strengthening the sector involved with logistics and marketing;this is the foundation for an administration with a reverse logistics approach.Reverse logistics is a significant practice that reflects in actions such as the constant adaptation of regulations and laws that favor the recovery of electronic waste and household waste.Reverse logistics constitutes a practice that empowers the possibility of analyzing complementary or parallel markets to that of the company in question,gives rise to the reuse of materials,provides greater transparency to the clients regarding the origin and nature of the articles contributing to the purchase decision and the rest.This mechanism contributes to the differentiation of the company from its competitors,and gives a global image approaching,in many occasions,bringing consumers closer to the business.Both the packaging and the containers constitute a great weight when developing a reverse logistics based kind of system.The constant search for new materials and resources that enable compliance with standards,requirements and must have standards,arise as possible responses to processes within logistics and environmental care.It should be noted that,the resulting waste can show a positive value if it is reused or have negative value in case it occupied treatment or had to be discarded,representing a higher cost.The production of non-polluting-type of goods,the reduction of adverse effects on the environment,the prevention of such damages,the responsible use of limited natural resources,the expansion and development of new technologies for the benefit of the environment and the reduction of pollutant gases,through a system that is capable of carrying out an effective environmental control hand in hand with environmental audits,are matters of maximum priority in the present conjuncture.Companies must carry out a study of the processes and their logistical and productive systems,considering all those different actors participating in the value chain and the commercial chain,without forgetting the economic and financial effects that these practices entail,moreover,that these provisions emanate positive externalities for the environment,the company and the surrounding society.When it comes to environmental related legislation for matters of this research study,at the beginning of the 1990 s,specifically in the year 1992,the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development(UNCED)took place in Brazil in the city of Rio de Janeiro,which expanded the initial concept of sustainable development with applications not only in the ecological field,but extended to the social,economic and political sectors.Manufacturers and companies that apply this concept of sustainable development,obviously have a significant competitive advantage when compared to their competing parties,because by using this environmentally friendly strategy,it makes them able to project a better image and stand out in the corresponding market.It is important to mention that the fact that this concept of sustainable development not only applies in a specific stage of the production cycle,but it can be applied in other stages that go from the design of the articles like those with an ecological type of design,to the value chain where the components are extracted and treated,also being able to reach the reuse of these goods,which in a later process can collaborate with their waste to form raw materials in various industries.In the same field,the uses that are given to diverse raw materials and energy can be seen,as well as the areas where it is possible to maximize profits during the life cycle of the goods and to minimize waste that they leave behind,generating an efficient use of resources along with a much higher productivity.In order to achieve this,a detailed study of the company's objectives,the use of the manufactured goods,the revaluation,its capacity to be part of the recycling process together with other mechanisms used within the business must be given.The processes of manufacturing and de-manufacturing must also be considered,in other words,the power to disassemble a product and break it down into smaller parts such as elements,assembly,sub-assemblies,parts and so on,which may eventually constitute objects or useful services for other companies so that they can take advantage of the value the goods still have.In the Republic of Costa Rica,several agreements(Basel Convention on Border Control of Hazardous Waste and its Disposal,United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC),Kyoto Protocol,Rio Earth Summit,etc.)have been signed in order to regulate and ensure responsible waste management.At a national level for waste disposal,the Law for the Integral Management of Waste No.8839 standard was created through which the responsibility for the financing of recycling practices,reuse and disposition of electronic materials that comes from homes,to companies with expertise in this area is passed.In the territory,it is estimated that 48 kilotons of electronic waste per capita per year are generated.When it comes to plastics composition,they are distinguished by the great resistance and the type of density that characterizes them for being able to contain liquids,acids and solvents.In addition,they play an important role in terms of both electrical insulation and thermal insulation.In its chemical composition,plastics have a structure where their molecules can vary being these linear organization,cross-linked molecules or ordered in a branched.Of these types of molecular structures,those branched and linear are those that can modify their shape when exposed to heat,that is,the linear and branched molecules are thermoplastic.They can also be fitted into categories when their plasticity is taken into consideration,being said they can be thermostable or thermoplastics.Thermostable plastics are capable of melting when applied heat and in the same way,if they are exposed to even hotter temperatures,they can solidify.It should be noted that the fact that they can be exposed to high temperatures does not mean that this confers on them that they can be re-patched or reheated in the same way as was originally done.Thermoplastic plastics are transformed by heating and cooling.When they are heated they can flow as viscous liquids,when cooled they go to a solid state.The vast majority of plastics that industry has so far,belong to the family of thermoplastics.In the case of PET plastic,polyethylene terephthalate among its basic and most known characteristics,there's its lightweight,the resistance it has as it can absorb the impact if it falls down or even when compressed,it has the capability of maintaining flavor and flavor of its contents,it's recyclable at a one hundred percent being able to be used in recyclable containers.It can also act as a great barrier against external gases.This versatility has made manufacturers opt in for PET containers more often than glass containers.They also represent bigger economic savings as plastic containers are cheaper than glass made ones.The Costa Rican industries demand for PET products has seen a growing number in its demand even after opposition pro-ecological groups which have protested against it in multiple ocassions.Its rise has been higher since the year of 2015 showing an increase of a 3.5%,4% in 2016 and another increment in the year 2017 to reflect a 3.9%.(AFP,2018).If the numbers of PET demand are compared to the number of the material that is actually recovered afterwards,it is showing a post consumption rate way lower than the acquired material.Seeing such demand increasing at such high levels,recycling must be present in the mindset of both consumers and plastic producers.The concept of recycling can be understood as one where raw material can be obtained from waste,where those wastes form part of a cycle for reuse,all with the aim of reducing and efficiently managing waste.In the matter of the reduction of plastic products,it is a responsibility that falls on the petrochemical industry(the manufacturer),the packer that is where the packaging is designed and in the processing industry that is responsible for the manufacture of the final products.It is necessary to add that the responsibility is not completely of the manufacturer,but that the consumer also has an important degree of duty.If analyzed carefully,the consumer has the power to decide what will be the product that will be acquired.If the buyer decides to buy a good that has been thought and made with the intention of reducing the impact on the generation of waste or be inclined to buy one that superfluously contributes to a greater generation of waste.When the plastic material is recycled,a separation must be made in individual fractions of the different types of plastics.After that separation,it can be chosen among two recycling alternatives: mechanical recycling or chemical recycling.The mechanical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate consists of the conversion of waste made of plastic in the post-consumer or post-industrial stage in the form of granules that can be reused in the manufacture of other products.Chemical PET recycling is when the material enters a depolymerization phase(a heat and pressure degradation process that transform the material into simpler and smaller molecular chains).In the Republic of Costa Rica,it can be said that the production of virgin PET is null,this limitation makes the industrialists completely dependent on the imports of said material,as the country is not part of the oil producing countries and does not have the necessary technology to produce PET by its own means.According to the Central Bank of Costa Rica(Banco Central de Costa Rica or BCCR by its initials in Spanish),virgin polyethylene terephthalate(PET)plastic is not produced or exported in the country and imports are totally dependent on it to cover domestic demand in the country.In the year 2014,the consumption of plastic raw materials was centered in two cities Cartago with 56.59% and San José with 33.17%,while the rest was used in the cities of Heredia,Guanacaste,Limón and Puntarenas.Of the percentage of plastics consumed in the city of Cartago,2% corresponded to terephthalate polyethylene(PET).Therefore,it can be deduced that the city of Cartago is one of the cities with the highest consumption of PET plastic in the Costa Rican countryThe determination of the consumption of beverages in containers made of PET plastic,is based on the data collected through a survey made to the population of Cartago by means of a sampling by strata(low,medium low,medium,medium high and high strata),this survey focuses on the need to determine that important information regarding the acceptance of the recycling process,the consumption of packaging and the possible value of the garment with greater acceptance of the population of Cartago.In order to determine the weekly consumption of beverages in this type of packaging,the data collected regarding the third question of the questionnaire of the survey,which refers to the consumption,were analyzed.weekly packaging in presentations of half a liter,1.3 liters,1.2 liters and 3 liters.There is a PET containers disposal method proposal within this thesis research work.The alternative of this method or model is to create a recycling chain where the government through a legal framework will force to participate in a system of exchange of polyethylene terephthalate containers to producers(manufacturers),supermarkets or points of sale and end consumers.This thesis is based on mechanical recycling,taking as a starting point the selective collection that will be carried out by the capturing machines will only accept containers that are in the post-consumption stage from the companies that are in agreement with the recycling chain.With this type of selective collection,it is expected that the material collected will be of higher quality,above all so that it can have a greater cleanliness.The collected material will be stored temporarily inside the same collection machines in a compartment,in which the containers will be compacted periodically to achieve an optimization of space and energy.When the washing and separation processes are completed,the plastic material will be milled once again,ensuring that it is left with the measures required by the international market.To guarantee a greater elimination of impurities in the material,the washing with a chemical substance will be carried out.After this other washing,the material will be sent through an auger to the rinse section,this is where the material is deposited and stirred in a jar with water.When the material is clean,it is dried and then stored.The sustainability of this project is based on giving a responsible and adequate management to the final disposal of the containers made of polyethylene terephthalate,for which three main factors are analyzed,which are: the economic factor,social factor and the environmental factor.With these three factors,it will be determined if over time the impact of the project will be of benefit to society or not.In the social sustainability analysis section,the concept of a recycling culture was handled,which is capable of committing society to actively integrate into this new waste management proposal,which will allow achieving the objectives set out in the draft.Regarding the analysis of environmental sustainability,the environmental impact evaluations guarantee that the proposed recycling plan will reduce the pollution caused by non-recycled post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate bottles in the city of Cartago.The main way to make such project sustainable is to do so through those involved in the production and the consumption of polyethylene terephthalate containers,whom are responsible for them,and in this way the parties are fully committed to recycling and reuse of these materials.Added to the previous statement,the following aspects were taken into account: economic,social,environmental and political.In the economic aspect and in the political aspect,it is sought to have an agreement between the companies involved in the generation of bottles made with PET and the State,in order to ensure a constant supply of raw material and have the state guarantee to reuse the PET material;thus being able to generate resources that benefit the entire community.In the environmental aspect and the social aspect,it is intended to encourage the population of Cartago City to get involved in the recycling of PET bottles economically.Thanks to this study,several conclusions could be visualized.The first conclusion appears that the containers made with polyethylene terephthalate(PET)have their drawbacks,the PET requirement is so extensive that it is a complicated task to gather all the components to meet and meet the demand of customers in terms of quality and quantity of products,this as material that has been recycled and in the same way,as raw material.It must be kept in mind that talking about PET or new plastics,these goods have a common denominator which is that both come from oil.Since oil is one of the most sought-after raw materials,new forms and alternatives must be proposed to replace the use of this natural resource.Among them it can also be mentioned where it is concluded that of the totality of the population corresponding to the city of Cartago,a percentage of 87.28% of the inhabitants have declared to be willing to participate in the activity of recycling made containers of polyethylene terephthalate in the presentations of half a liter,one liter,two liters and three liters.It is also concluded that the consumption equivalent to the consumption of polyethylene terephthalate plastic containers in the city of Cartago would be equivalent to 312,555,692(in tons it is equal to 12189).In the same way this study has demonstrated how in the Republic of Costa Rica,of a totality of one hundred percent of containers made of polyethylene terephthalate,it is observed and it is concluded that of said totality,only a percentage of 70.17% follows the criteria considered in the field of recycling and the proper practices of good waste management.Also,it has been shown that Costa Rica depends of the polyethylene terephthalate imports coming from Central American countries like Dominican Republic,Nicaragua,El Salvador,Honduras,Guatemala and Panamá.Within the issue of recycling,the inhabitants of the city of Cartago,would have greater willingness to return polyethylene terephthalate plastic containers by applying the corresponding exchange rate of ?30 Costa Rican Colones or its equivalent to $ 0.05 in USD;Thus,a percentage of 85.03% of the population would participate actively in the return of containers for recycling purposes.Likewise,the existence of a direct relationship between reverse logistics and the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate plastic has also been visualized,given the presence in both concepts of still being able to find added value for products that have reached the end of their useful life cycle.With regards to the efforts made by governments and institutions at the national and local levels,Costa Rica must still pay special attention to waste management and the consequences of the greenhouse effect and its vulnerability due to the country's geographical location.There is still much room for improvement by these social actors and one of the most important cases is to publicize in a greater proportion the effects of climate change and raise awareness through a massive information and education campaign involving the mass media in Costa.Delicious.The Costa Rican citizen must be aware that the effort of each person counts and is of significant importance in the issue of waste management,in order to delay or contain the negative externalities resulting from climate change. |
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