During the day, 380 kilograms of waste were collected, a figure equivalent to the waste generated by half a million people in a day, taking as a parameter the calculation that each person in Latin America and the Caribbean generates almost 1 kilo of garbage per day.

The activity began with words from Rodrigo Gallardo, CEO of Holcim El Salvador, who thanked the volunteers for their willingness and effort to have a clean country, a less contaminated ecosystem and a better planet; commitments shared by the company, which has sustainability at the center of its strategy with measurable objectives in terms of biodiversity and water, optimizing its production processes by reducing the use of this vital liquid and carbon emissions.

"As part of our commitment to the environment, we raise awareness in our communities about the importance of preserving and caring for these natural resources, for which we are all responsible", said Fiona Alfaro, Fundación Holcim Coordinator who led the day.

"Lake Coatepeque is not only a tourist attraction, but also home to numerous families. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a safe environment and prevent waste from contaminating the lake. Working together, organizations and communities can achieve a positive and lasting impact on the conservation of this valuable ecosystem", said biologist Rubén Sorto, representative of Fundación Coatepeque.

Waste transformed into energy

The 380 kilos of waste collected during this cleanup day will be treated through co-processing, a practice carried out by Geocycle that allows the use of the energy and mineral value of multiple wastes in the production of cement, reducing the use of fossil fuels and contributing to the generation of a cleaner environment.

In addition to guaranteeing the total destruction of this waste, which is a pollution risk to the lake, Holcim promotes the application of the circular economy.

In 2022 alone, Geocycle transformed more than 36 thousand tons of waste into a usable resource for the manufacture of cement, thus avoiding the generation of tons of CO₂ in the environment; the goal for this 2023 is to exceed this figure and transform 90 thousand tons of these materials, tripling the reduction of tons of CO₂ emissions that would be avoided with respect to the previous year and preventing these from adding to the amount of waste that reaches landfills or generates pollution in rivers, lakes and oceans.

Translated by: A.M