Every 15 minutes, a truck loaded with a ton of plastic bottles entering the Recynter factory, located in the 9.5 kilometer road Daule Guayaquil.

Amid the big lumps of discarded containers, about 30 workers classified the product to be recycled. Some bottles are green, some red and blue. But 95% of the material PET (polyethylene terephthalate) that comes clear.

In the next stage, the bottles are transported by rail to reach the washing machine where they are refined with additives and solvents. At the end are compressed to form plastic buckets. That product is exported to China, where he transformed into polyester clothing.

After one month, Recynter processed about 400 tons of bottles. Hector Lam, marketing manager, said that almost all plastics can be recycled. "Instead of waiting 200 years to disintegrate, we can reuse it. However, Lam said that the country only 20% of the bottles is recycled.

The plastic bags are going through a similar process. Are sorted, washed and chopped. This material passes through a head that melts to form the product strips as a kind of noodle.

Intercia Company SA, also on the way to Daule, specializes in the recycling. One month processing some 300 tons of plastic. Luis Jervis, purchasing manager, said that in other countries the material used to make bags, backpacks and even carpets.

At home, the raw material for plastic containers being imported. According to the Ecuadorian Association of Plastics (Aseplas), between January and June 2009 they bought 148 861 tonnes abroad.

Only PET material, which is used to make bottles, imported 23 123 tonnes. And in polypropylene, which is transformed into bags, bought 25 499 tonnes.
Almost all of these covers, cleaning product containers and bottles of soft drinks and other beverages consumed at home go straight to the garbage.

"The industry of disposable products is more waste generated worldwide," said Joanna Morales, manager of Sustainable Development of Total Environmental Solutions (Sambito). She explains that 31% of the waste produced by Latin American cities can be recycled.

In the case of Guayaquil, there are only small examples. In areas like the Malecon and shopping centers have been installed to separate waste bins. Yellows are for light packaging and plastic bags, green and blue glass, paper and cardboard. But, in practice there is a massive campaign.

In a recent consultation with the public on the issue of garbage in Guayaquil, 97% of respondents (29 113), was in favor of plans for recycling and reuse of waste.

Norberta Mina, the Democratic Forum, the organizer of the consultation, believes that recycling reduce waste accumulation in popular areas.

However, Samuel Reyes, vice president of the Consortium Vachagnon, operator of the collection service in the city, you need to make people aware.
"Is there a culture for recycling?, Is there a cheap possibility to buy three little bag of colors to recycle? This is an issue that goes through the social and economic. "
Reyes noted that in European cities like Barcelona, there are plants that reuse-recycling 95% of the trash.

For Rebeca Ramirez, Sambito, the key is not only recycling, but also in reducing consumption of plastics at home, offices, shops and other premises. "You can use cloth bags and paper. Avoid using disposable products such as handkerchiefs, kitchen rolls, glasses, dishes and opt for products with unnecessary packaging.