Recycling of glass bottles should be encouraged through reuse

The pandemic has caused the levels of recycling decrease in our country, so it is urgent to relearn these habits to cause less impact on the planet. Among those strategies is the glass container recyclinga material that can be reused many times and that, in addition, can generate additional benefits for users thanks to interesting initiatives.

These were some of the topics discussed during the webinar “Bottle by bottle: let’s help the planet together by returning our packaging”, organized by Backus and which was broadcast on the Facebook fan page and the YouTube channel of the newspaper El Comercio. This activity was attended by Geraldine Schanks, Manager of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Backus; and Paloma Roldán, director of the Ciudad Saludable organization. The moderation was in charge of Bruno Ortiz, a science journalist for this newspaper.

Complicated situation

Paloma Roldán indicated that the recycling situation in the country is in crisis, because during the pandemic the little progress in terms of recycling levels has been regressed. “If we add organic and inorganic waste, with just the right amount we reach 1.8%. Before the pandemic we were around 5%. This is a serious blow for the chains of recovery of recyclable materials, such as glass”, explained the expert.

He added that it is necessary to strengthen the recycling chains of glass and other materials, not only in Lima but in the rest of the country. “It must be clear to us that, even before recycling, we must think about reuse in terms of glass containers. One of the strategies is returnability,” he stressed.

In this regard, Geraldine Schanks provided more details about Backus’s plans to encourage the reuse of glass containers, mainly through its Bottle to Bottle campaign.

“This is a circular economy initiative with which Backus seeks to reduce its waste through returnability. The bottles are recovered to reuse the containers, which can be reused up to 25 times. That way we reduce our impact on the environment,” says Schanks.

The company representative indicated that each year they recover more than 2 million bottles, which represents 98.6% of the total sold in returnable bottles through its different channels. In addition, she explained that 75% of her portfolio has been transformed from personal presentation to returnable.

interesting strategies

In this sense, Schanks explained that in Backus they are using different strategies so that the returnability of the containers becomes a habit for more people.

“Through digital platforms such as Backus Ya and TaDa, consumers can receive discounts on their purchases if they return the bottles. In addition, we encourage recovery through our winemakers, supermarket chains and strategic alliances with various actors, such as Ciudad Saludable. It is part of our work as a company to work hand in hand with consumers to change their habits, encouraging that returnability”, he stated.