Sometimes you have to start small to be able to work towards bigger goals. That is why Selibon, Marshe di Playa and Boneiru Duradero are organizing a Recycling Event on Saturday April 8. Their common goal is to stimulate recycling on Bonaire. Increasing local awareness is an important first step in reaching this goal. Selibon will demonstrate the use of three different plastic recycling machines and Marshe di Playa offers the creators of recycled products a cozy market atmosphere to sell their goods. Boneiru Duradero will be taking care of the kids with a fun and educational recycle workshop.

There are numerous people on Bonaire that already produce recycled products. There are those who make beautiful jewelry from coffee cups and some who transform wine bottles into candleholders and wind chimes. There is also a group of local women who crochet with plastic bags, repurposing a single use material into a multi use material. Besides recycled products Marshe di Playa offers fresh home cooked meals, trendy clothing, shoes, accessories and local plants. The Recycling Event will take place on Saturday April 8 at Plasa Medio Ambiente (next to Warehouse) from 9.00 tot 13.00.

The importance of recycling on Bonaire
According to Claris Trinidad of Selibon there are two main reasons for recycling on Bonaire: “In the first place recycling decreases the amount of waste going to the landfill, which is important because the landfill is close to full capacity. Secondly recycling creates the possibility to earn money, as is already the case with cardboard. Selibon is currently transporting a 40 ft. container filled with cardboard to Asia, each month.” The waste management company plans to do the same with plastic.

Selibon will soon be opening a brand new recycling centre at the landfill at Lagoen. This centre will enable Selibon to further professionalize waste management on Bonaire and to store even more types of waste separately. The recycle centre is made possible through investments by the Ministry of Infrastructure in the Netherlands.

In the new setup at the landfill Selibon will start with the production of plastic regrind. In order to produce regrind Selibon plastic will preselected by type, washed and then shredded by a machine. The end product is a raw material that is called regrind. This regrind can be sold on the international market. But it would be fantastic if it were possible to manufacture recycled plastic products on Bonaire. Selibon is hoping to find entrepreneurs who are interested in large-scale production of recycled products on Bonaire.

Recycling starts with waste separation
Only ten to fifteen percent of our total household waste is currently collected through Separation Stations, either at Plasa Medio Ambiente or through one of the neighborhood stations in Hato and Amboina. “In 2017 Selibon will equip more neighborhoods with their own waste separation station, in order to make it easier for inhabitants of Bonaire to separate their waste”, says Selibon director Rudsel Leito. The separation station in Hato is a big success, each day it is filled to capacity and than emptied by Selibon. Inhabitants of Bonaire play an important role in the ultimate success of recycling, because recycling starts with the willingness of people to separate their waste at home!