“The major problem today with plastics, in general, is that you buy them, you use them and you discard them. We got ourselves into a situation, where we need to make a change, and that starts by taking recycling seriously. There is no reason why PET can’t be recycled infinite times, as the technology exists.
In Honduras, recycling is a way of living and it provides a way of living for thousands of people. Here in Honduras, we have a lot of poverty and recycling is a solution for the people. Unfortunately, plastic is based on petroleum. The prices of oil go up and down, so do the price of plastics. Back in 2011 the price of oil was 100 USD a barrel and thus the price of recycled plastic was very high. In those years we had a recycling rate of 84%. That’s as high as most Scandinavian countries.
Today price can be half of what it was 8 years ago. And when you lower someone’s income by half that is a real problem. This is where we have to come up with ideas on how to vertically integrate in order to keep the price more stable for people.
Technology today allows us today to recycle PET infinite times. The most important thing is to believe in technology and do not be afraid to invest. If the consumer is conscious and the industry is conscious, if we invest in the equipment, in the processes and the right way to do things there is no doubt that recycling can work – but it has to be a team effort.”