More than 1 billion glass bottles are discarded in the country, some inappropriately on beaches, rivers, vacant lots and dumps. Part of these bottles end up in landfills, which, although they are adequate structures, have their useful life reduced when they receive materials that could be reused. To reverse this scenario, the federal government created, by decree, the national reverse logistics system for glass packaging, which is part of the National Solid Waste Policy.
The decree sets goals for the recycling rate of disposable glass packaging and for the recycled content index, which represents how much recycled material is used in the manufacture of new packaging. The indices will be monitored and evaluated based on the presentation of data, information and reports by the Ministry of the Environment. The information can be accessed on the website of the Recycle+ program?? Since the launch of the initiative, more than 300,000 tons of recyclable materials have already been certified.
The actions will not have public funds and will be carried out by the private sector, through partnerships between manufacturers, importers, distributors and traders, similar to what is already done in the case of returnable packaging and in several reverse logistics systems implemented in the country. country, such as the electronics reverse logistics system.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, the lack of regulation led companies to look for shards of glass abroad, such as in European countries. Furthermore, many Brazilian states did not know what to do with discarded glass. According to the folder, the decree encourages cost reduction, “because when such packages are sent for recycling, they no longer represent weight and costs in transport and landfill”.
Reverse logistics is a system that allows the return of packaging to the production cycle, which contributes to the increase in glass recycling in the country and, consequently, to the reduction of inappropriate disposal in the environment and has effects on public health. The accumulation of rainwater in empty bottles leads to the proliferation of vectors, such as mosquitoes. aedes aegyptitransmitter of dengue, chikungunya, zika and urban yellow fever.
The measure also has an impact on the climate, as recycling increases energy efficiency in the glass manufacturing industry and reduces the emission of greenhouse gases. Recycled broken glass requires 40% less energy and does not emit carbon dioxide.
