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A16 LOCAL
Monday 17 July 2017

TURNING WASTE INTO VALUE
Caribbean Waste Collective brings waste recycling to the forefront

Products made of waste attention for the circular
are ‘hot’. Think design fur- economy. “We need to
niture or even houses, fully collaborate if we want to
made of recycled plastic grow. Only then can we
bottles. Well-known brands become a significant eco-
like Adidas are also mak- nomic sector. We are run-
ing products made of raw ning out of oil and gas, so
material that used to be we must consider alterna-
waste. Waste is no longer tives and start working with
waste, but is turned into those now. We can make
a commodity, something energy from waste and
that has value. This is hap- we can make new prod-
pening worldwide, and ucts. Here, waste is literally
on a much smaller scale everywhere.” The aim is to
also in Aruba, Bonaire and optimize the waste disposal
Curaçao. The Caribbean process on all three islands
Waste Collective (CWC) per waste stream, and
was created to focus more sharing solutions is a realis-
on this development and tic and efficient possibility.
to enable growth within For example, on Aruba a
this economic sector. CWC solution has been created
connects companies, or- for oil waste processing. For
ganizations and individu- now, the aim is to have a
als who collect, recycle processing point on one of
and work with waste or the three islands per waste
support waste recycling. stream. If it is not possible to
The three islands share process the waste on one
the same language, cul- of the islands, then an ex-
ture and history and have port solution will be consid-
united to fight the waste ered.
fight together. Manag- Currently, approximately 14
ing and processing waste organizations are affiliated
is a huge challenge for with the Caribbean Waste
Aruba, Bonaire and Cu- Collective. Within the CWC
racao. The distance be- they are called Champs
tween the islands is short, and Fans. Champs collect,
so in theory waste can process or produce waste,
be exchanged to be pro- Fans are companies that
cessed into raw material. support waste recycling
“There is an obvious de- because they have an in-
mand for an organization terest in proper waste man-
like CWC”, says WybeBruin- agement.
sma owner of Van de Sant Curaçao Clean Up, Meta-
and one of the founders. bolic Foundation, Van De
Bruinsma, Maurice Adri- Sant, Antilla Energy, Limpi
aens, managing direc- Recycling and Mondiero
tor Tourism Board Bonaire are some of these Champs.
and Diego Acevedo, VP The group of Fans currently
Business Development of consists of Kooyman, Bo-
Bluerise on Aruba are the naire Tourism Corporation,
core managing team of TUI Care Foundation and
the collective. “There is a Green’S’Cool Foundation
strong development world- to name a few.
wide from a linear to a cir- Other parties have been
cular economy. There is a contacted and conversa-
decrease in products that tions are ongoing. CWC
made for single use. It’s in- aims to have 25 parties
creasingly normal to look committed to support the
at other production chains. collective by the end of
Think plastic bottles get- July.
ting recycled into furniture, Of course, local authorities
but also old fish nets being are also being involved. A
turned into plastic shop- few weeks ago, the idea
ping bags for the Con- was shared with Minister
scious Exclusive Collection Martina in Curaçao. The
of the fashion brand H&M. Caribbean Waste Collec-
By initiating the Caribbean tive has approached all
Waste Collective Bruin- three governments to sup-
sma, Adriaens and Acev- port this new sector to be
edo hope to create more developed. q