GARBAGE WILL BE RECICLED

Urbaser will collect refuse

The new environmentally friendly way to dispose trash will be more expensive, but is going to be better in the long run

IRLANDA SOTILLO/MARIJULIA PUJOL
mpujolstar@laestrella.com.pa

The company has promised to improve the environment and the lives of the 400 people who make their living by collecting recyclable materials.

From January 14, the recycling collectors will be transferred to eight warehouses, in which they will be able to separate the material under more healthy conditions and using proper equipment such as gloves, and masks as well as receiving free medical attention.

Urbaser-Plotosa is a well recognized company at the international level for its Clean Development Mechanism, which reduces carbon emissions and utilizes a treatment plant that stops highly toxic liquid from contaminating groundwater. The system will allow the Panamanian government to obtain carbon credits for complying with the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The garbage disposal mechanism will increase the cost of getting rid of rubbish to $11.53 per ton, 50 percent more that the current price of $6.50.

Urbaser Plotosa has operations in Europe, Asia and Africa and uses an ecological system, which is kind to the environment.

In the capital city around 1,500 tons of rubbish are dumped in the landfill of Cerro Patacon every month.

According to the environment assessor of the Mayor’s Office, Rene Paniza the price is fair, considering that other companies would charge for the same job at least $15 per ton, which is the average cost for the disposal of refuse in other Central American countries.

However, the new tariff will have a negative effect in the district of San Miguelito, which used to pay $1 per ton of garbage, thanks to a subsidy given by the Panama City Mayor’s Office.

Under the new contract the San Miguelito District will have to pay $11.53 per ton to Urbaser Plotosa, but an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the district stipulates that the district will pay for the rubbish disposal. Currently San Miguelito produces around 400 tons of rubbish a day, which mean that it will have a daily bill of $4,612.

The San Miguelito Mayor’s office appears not to have the necessary funds to face the high costs of collecting garbage.

Publicidad