Although PET is the plastic that is most recycled, it is also the most consumed and the one that causes the greatest impact on nature. Just one bottle can take up to 1,000 years to degrade, and experts say that in 2050 the production of PET bottles will reach 1,120 million tons.
Without a doubt, it is a situation to which both citizens and companies must turn their gaze. In this sense, the importance that these bottles do not accumulate among common waste is vital. And, not only that, but they arrive in the correct conditions at the recycling plants so that they become a quality material that can give way to a new bottle suitable for storing food and beverages for human consumption.
At Origin, Enkador’s recycling movement, we are in charge of giving PET bottles a new life through a certified process, which is contributing to combating plastic pollution in the country. Are you interested in knowing each step of this process? We invite you to read our entry How is a discarded bottle transformed into a new one?
However, we could not do all this without the first link in recycling: you. Your work from home is essential to be able to continue with ours! We teach you how you should treat your PET bottle at home so that it reaches our plant in the optimal conditions required to turn it into a new bottle:
Once in our plant, the bottles are crushed, purified and reduced to resin suitable for consumption. Every day, we produce more than 500,000 new bottles from your work at home with the bottles you consume.
Therefore, your commitment to the environment is essential to continue transforming the world through recycling. Together we can! Learn more about our work here and join the Origin movement.
As an initiative of Enkador, Origin joined the Pact for Inclusive Recycling in the Circular Economy, in which, along with other companies committed to caring for the environment, training for job skills will be provided to 1,500 grassroots recyclers in our country. The signing of this pact occurred on the occasion of World Recycling Day, celebrated on May 17th.
In this summit, the Ecuadorian President, Guillermo Lasso, expressed the openness of his government to work on the transition towards the circular economy and to recognize the contribution of recyclers in this task. Origin joins this will, since our management begins with the grassroots recyclers, and their work is essential to continue transforming the world. Find out why recyclers are key players for the circular economy to continue working.
What does the certification for recyclers consist of?
This certification for “Basic Recycling” labor competencies is based on the development of a professional qualification profile carried out by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition together with the Ministry of Labor, and, through the Ecuadorian Professional Training Service (SECAP, for its acronym in Spanish), will allow recyclers to receive a certification that endorses their knowledge and experience, and, for the first time, their work will be recognized as professional work. This pact also represents an alliance between the public and private sectors, which will seek to enhance the contribution of recyclers in caring for the planet and in their ability to reinsert waste into the industry and economy.
To do this, dignifying their work must be the start point, providing them with better conditions and an environment conducive to doing it, with less discrimination and more benefits: health, education, social security, etc. Origin is currently dedicated to transforming discarded PET plastic into a new bottle that can repackage food and beverages.
We work with more than 5,600 basic recyclers who provide us with the bottles that are used in our factory as raw material. We guarantee the payment of fair prices and we support your professionalization, recognition and productivity.
Do you want more details of this whole process? Click here.
Undoubtedly, the signing of this pact reinforces our commitment to society and the environment, and even more, to our most important allies: recyclers and waste managers in our country.
One of the most common mistakes we make is assuming that all plastics are recyclable or attempting to recycle unsuitable materials. It is not only important to identify what can be recycled, but to separate the materials that cannot be processed again, and to the extent possible, reduce their use or give them personal use at home.
Have you wondered what they are? We show you below:
Colored or screen-printed plastics
Have you come across a bottle from which you cannot remove the label or which has the brand directly printed on it? These are screen-printed bottles and their recycling is impossible since they are already contaminated with dye, and this prevents them from being processed again for consumption. We give you an idea: do not throw them away, wash them well and create pots or homemade containers with them.
Remember: even if the bottle is PET, if it has these characteristics, don’t put it in the recycling container. If the term PET is new to you, we invite you to read everything about this plastic here.
Containers with leftover food
In cases where you can no longer clean food remains (such as greasy cartons, for example) unfortunately, these containers have to be thrown away. However, it is almost always in our hands to treat the packaging correctly to enable it for recycling. If they are PET bottles, empty their contents, wash them and crush them. That is the correct process for them to be candidates to be a new bottle.
Foil wrappers
Did you know that food wrappers, even if they are clean, cannot be recycled? This is because these materials are made from aluminum foil with PVC, one of the most difficult plastics to reprocess. Added to these packaging are tubes of toothpaste and cans with toxic materials.
Special papers
While paper can be recycled, there are some types that contain something extra (like adhesives) or are made in a way that is not compatible with recycling. The most common examples are fax papers, tickets or photographs. We recommend that you keep these materials and use them for a second time at home for crafts, for example.
Your commitment from home represents an enormous contribution so that recycling continues, and, therefore, so that there is less and less waste in nature. Identify what you can and cannot recycle and apply less consumption of non-recyclable materials for greater environmental care. We invite you to learn about us and how we contribute so that there is less and less plastic in nature.