El papel de las estaciones de clasificación y aprovechamiento (ECAS) en el manejo integrado y sostenible de residuos sólidos en Santiago de Cali

Abstract

The position of Cali in the production of solid waste in Colombia merits rethinking the suitability of the current collection scheme under the lens of global directives that promote the transition to sustainable systems that rest on the pillars of environmental protection, which promote the improvement of the social conditions of the population and that in turn are self-sustaining and generate economic development. Said in this way, improvements in the management of urban solid waste transcend the mere coupling of technologies to the treatment processes and involve the integration of stakeholders in the decision-making process and organization of waste management. The Stations of Classification and Use (ECAS) for its structure and operation appear in the context of Cali as a meeting point whose structure brings together the municipal administration, citizens, the private sector and especially the population of ex officio recyclers. This system enjoys being inclusive, sustainable, environmentally friendly due to the waste recovery capacity of the recycling sector and economically viable as a form of entrepreneurship, with the usual economic advantages of the return of raw materials to the production cycle. This text tries to defend the suitability of the strategy and the relevance of redoubling in time and budget the efforts to make it a reality in the city. Perhaps one of the local strategies that best fit the new realities of an uneven, highly populated world with an urgent need to preserve the environment.