Trash seems to be an inevitable part of life in our modern culture. But is it possible to reduce your garbage by half? How about 75 percent … or even all of it. New Jersey has always been in the forefront of trash reduction. In April 1987, this state we’re in became the first in the nation to require recycling. But some people are going further.
Consumer products giant P&G is tackling marine pollution by creating bottles made from beach plastic and developing new technologies to reduce waste. P&G’s Virginie Helias talks about the importance of collaboration to solve the ocean plastic crisis.
Sentado en su oficina en Trenton (Nueva Jersey, este de Estados Unidos), Tom Szaky es un exitoso joven presidente de una empresa que ha lanzado el primer programa de reciclado de colillas de cigarrillo exportado al mundo.
Lanzado en Canadá en mayo, ampliado luego a Estados Unidos y a España, el programa de su empresa TerraCycle asegura la recolección de colillas a través de voluntarios y su transformación en plástico, utilizado luego para nuevos productos, entre ellos, ceniceros.
El principio es el mismo sea cual sea el país: los voluntarios (personas, empresas, asociaciones de defensa del medio ambiente) recogen las colillas y las envían a la sede nacional de TerraCycle, que paga incluso el costo del paquete.
Las cenizas son luego esterilizadas y disecadas, con lo cual el papel y el tabaco se mezclan, y el acetato de celulosa utilizado en el filtro (un material plástico) es fundido y reutilizado para fabricar todo tipo de nuevos productos que son comercializados.
El programa, subraya a la AFP Tom Szaky, es pagado por la industria tabacalera, feliz de mostrar una buena acción ante la opinión pública. Y los voluntarios reciben puntos que pueden utilizar para financiar proyectos en escuelas o asociaciones caritativas.
El reciclado de colillas no es la primera operación lanzada por TerraCycle, una empresa que desde hace diez años se especializa en el reciclado y el “transciclado” (transformación de un objeto reciclado en algo nuevo y de valor superior, según su definición) de unos sesenta desechos diferentes.
Entre estos se encuentran paquetes de jugos de fruta, botellas plásticas, bolígrafos, cápsulas de café, envoltorios de bombones y cepillos de dientes.
El éxito de la empresa ha superado las expectativas.
“Hemos recuperado muy rápido más de un millón de cigarrillos. Organizaciones formidables han garantizado la recolección. Y la industria tabacalera mostró tanto entusiasmo que lanzó el programa en Estados Unidos y España”, explica.
“En los próximos cuatro meses será lanzado Francia, Alemania, Suiza, Austria, Noruega, Dinamarca, Suecia, Finlandia y quizás México”, agrega este joven de 30 años nacido en Hungría y criado en Canadá.
Una grave fuente de contaminación
Para fabricar un cenicero hacen falta entre 1 000 y 2 000 colillas y para una silla de plástico de jardín más de 200 000, según sus cálculos.
Los cigarrillos constituyen la principal fuente de desechos en el mundo, el 37% de todo lo que la gente tira, subraya Szaky.
In the book Outsmart Waste: The Modern Idea of Garbage and Waste and How To Think Our Way Out of It, author Tom Szaky offers this info. “Upcycling is an emerging trend whereby one sees the value in both the composition and form of an object, but not the intention.”
A few years back, I attended a convention of entrepreneurs with a respected business journalist who was looking for interesting rags-to-riches stories. Word of his pursuit quickly got out among the attendees, however, and the journalist soon had a posse of people following him around, desperate to share their sagas. So, if you're worried you're doing the self-promotion thing wrong, take some advice. Here are the tips I’ve learned on how to sell yourself without turning people off.
Philanthropy is typically associated with good-hearted billionaires and very wealthy celebrities who devote their time and resources in trying to make the world a better place. Typically, there are specific causes that most philanthropists focus their attention to, and they usually establish foundations to channel funds, hire professionals and organize communities in order to address certain problems.
A few years back, I attended a convention of entrepreneurs with a respected business journalist who was looking for interesting rags-to-riches stories. Word of his pursuit quickly got out among the attendees, however, and the journalist soon had a posse of people following him around, desperate to share their sagas. So, if you're worried you're doing the self-promotion thing wrong, take some advice. Here are the tips I’ve learned on how to sell yourself without turning people off.
A few years back, I attended a convention of entrepreneurs with a respected business journalist who was looking for interesting rags-to-riches stories. Word of his pursuit quickly got out among the attendees, however, and the journalist soon had a posse of people following him around, desperate to share their sagas. So, if you're worried you're doing the self-promotion thing wrong, take some advice. Here are the tips I’ve learned on how to sell yourself without turning people off.
A few years back, I attended a convention of entrepreneurs with a respected business journalist who was looking for interesting rags-to-riches stories. Word of his pursuit quickly got out among the attendees, however, and the journalist soon had a posse of people following him around, desperate to share their sagas.So, if you're worried you're doing the self-promotion thing wrong, take some advice. Here are the tips I’ve learned on how to sell yourself without turning people off.
A few years back, I attended a convention of entrepreneurs with a respected business journalist who was looking for interesting rags-to-riches stories. Word of his pursuit quickly got out among the attendees, however, and the journalist soon had a posse of people following him around, desperate to share their sagas. So, if you're worried you're doing the self-promotion thing wrong, take some advice. Here are the tips I’ve learned on how to sell yourself without turning people off.
