Detail_Natural_Heritage_2024_05

Abfallentsorgung am anderen Ende der Welt - unterschiedlich und doch ganz ähnliche Probleme?

10.05.2024 - Kirsten Scheibke
Abfall entsteht überall auf der Welt. Die Entsorgung wird jedoch in vielen Fällen erst bedacht, wenn der Abfall bereits entstanden ist. Eigentlich sollte man denken, dass wir nach so vielen Jahren begriffen haben, welche Probleme mit so viel Müll einhergehen, vielleicht sogar Lösungen und Konzepte für unseren ganzen Müll gefunden haben. Doch leider landet unser Müll am Ende meistens immer noch am Straßenrand, im Wald, im Fluss, im See oder schließlich im Meer. Welche Ansätze, Ideen und vielleicht auch Herausforderungen und Probleme es mit dem Abfall in Argentinien gibt, habe ich in meinem Bericht aus dem "Patrimonio Natural" zusammengestellt.

Seit nun schon fast sieben Monaten leiste ich meinen weltwärts-Freiwilligendienst bei der argentinischen NGO „Patrimonio Natural“. Die NGO hat vier Standbeine und einen Schwanz, wie Graciela Capodoglio, die einzige noch aktive Gründerin und meine Chefin, gerne sagt. Die vier Standbeine sind: 
  1. Die Baumschule mit einheimischen Pflanzen, in der ich hauptsächlich arbeite,
  2. die Recyclingstation in meinem Vorgarten, auf die ich später noch genauer zu sprechen komme,
  3. die Umwelterziehung und Bildung durch Vorträge an Schulen und in Kindergärten
  4. und selbstverständlich das Naturreservat "Patrimonio Natural del Pilar".
Der Schwanz der NGO ist während der Corona-Pandemie hinzugekommen. Viele Wildtierauffangstationen haben während dieser Zeit geschlossen und so werden bei uns in der NGO immer wieder Wildtiere von Leuten aus der Bevölkerung abgegeben. Wir versorgen sie und wildern sie danach in der Reserva aus.
The beginnings of the “Reserva Natural del Pilar” go back more than 20 years. Graciela andher friend Liliana Murga were looking for a plot of land to establish aReserva. They found a suitable piece of land, but the use at the time was exactlywas the opposite of a reservation. It was a garbage dump.

The property wasadvertised as storage locationfor compost and branches,but was in reality asStorage for everything andthus also waste is used. TheProperty was in handthe community and they knewabout the condition and theMisuse, invited thereeven dispose of garbage themselves.this lack of identificationThe dump was not subject torequirements and did not fulfill any of thenecessarySecurity measures.
Photo: Natural Heritage
Problems associated with uncontrolled and unregulated dumping of waste arecomplex and arise from many (illegal) garbage dumps around the world. First of all, we do not knowwhat waste is being dumped and this could include highly toxic substances.Apart from that, the ingress of rain creates dangerous and toxic wastewater,that pollute the groundwater and soil. Greenhouse gases are produced thatClimate change is further fueled. Globally, greenhouse gases from waste dumps contribute between 3% and5% of the total greenhouse gases. In addition, toxic gases are produced which are unfiltered andcan escape uncontrolled and among which especially the people who live close butAnimals also suffer. People’s health as a whole suffers. There are more cases ofSkin diseases, dengue, cholera, underweight newborns, to name just a fewto name problems.
Since it was not clear what condition the land was in for a possible reservation and thereforeIt was not clear whether a reservation was worthwhile, the Argentine branch of the WWF came by.gave her the go-ahead for a reservation and so work began shortly thereafter.

The property remained in the hands of the municipality. To date, the NGO has only taken over theOrganization and management of the reserve. This model has advantages for both sides.The NGO has a free hand in its decisions and can, in the event of a change of political power,guarantee that the reserve will remain in place. At the same time, the fixedUse of the long-term nature of the project must be ensured by the municipality and mustpay anyone for the administration. However, seven Guardaparques are paid, which15 days in the reserve and 15 days with their families. In addition, theThe municipality provides electricity, water and, upon request, additional funds for maintenancethe reserve. But it took a lot of time to achieve all this.Endurance.
Photo: Natural Heritage
In September 2003,Graciela and Liliana alwaysthe weekends with theCollecting garbage that theythen at homedisposed of. During the weekthey continued working normally.Over time, they developed aSystem through which they canreceived support.On Thursdays, schoolsinto the reservation toCollecting garbagehelp, on Fridays the Bschools and held there
Lectures on the environment andthe Reserva. On SundaysThere are regular talks and guided tours in the reserve for interested people. Until 2007, approximatelyGraciela, Liliana and their now found comrades collected garbage. Afterwardsthey began with no less commitment to plant native plants, nativeTo release and resettle wild animals and to expand educational opportunities. These tasksstill exist today. They are carried out by the Guardaparques with the support ofvolunteers.
Due to the history of the reserve, one still encounters plantations or otherRegularly work in the ground for garbage. Some garbage was too big toto be transported away and so car wrecks and large stone blocks can be found on the site.

But the garbage that was removed from the current site had to go somewhere. AndJust because a dump was closed or no longer used, that did not mean that it wasThe problem of waste has not been solved in any way either in the reserve or in general.
Above the reserve, also on the Rio Luján, in Luján lies the largest garbage dump with 14.7 hectaresArgentina. That is about 18 football fields! It has existed for over 40 years. Since theGarbage dump located directly on the river Luján, wind and weather cause garbage to enter the river and sodownstream also into the reservation.

The area is by no means free of rubbish, as is probably the case today
no longer a place on earth. There is resistance against the garbage dump in Luján, but a solution seemsnot in sight, because all the garbage would have to go somewhere and nobody wants tounderstandably have on his doorstep.

Below I present some facts and figures about the problems with waste in Argentina in general, as well as the more or less existing or non-existent waste disposal processes.
Photo: Natural Heritage
In total, there are about 5,000 open-air garbage dumps in Argentina, which is more thantwo garbage dumps per municipality (map with all garbage dumps in Argentinamarked: https://escrituracronica.com/mapatrash-2/). In the greater Buenos Aires area there aremainly the system of the CEAMSE (“coordinación ecológico área metropolitano sociedad delestado”), which is nothing more than a controlled garbage dump under the open sky.consist of a hole lined with plastic and filled with garbage over time. AfterAfter a certain time, this hole is covered with earth and left to lie. The foilThis includes hazardous wastewater and the associated contamination of thesoil and groundwater can be prevented. Covering with soil canGreenhouse gases and toxic gases no longer escape. But not all storage locations are so34.4% of the waste is in landfills with inadequate safety precautions(As of 2021). In addition, as in Germany, there are many illegal garbage dumps.

Every day, Argentina produces approximately 1.15 kg of household waste per capita (this figure corresponds to approximatelyGerman figures as well). For the whole of Argentina, this is 45,000 tons per day, whichwhich in turn corresponds to approximately one tonne every two seconds. Only 10% of this isdisposed of properly.

In principle, the municipality is responsible for proper disposal. They pay for thisprivate companies such as Transur, which will take on this task. The companies will bekilo of garbage collected is paid from the social spending fund (and not from the fundfor the environment, as more money is available in the fund for social spending).

The garbage is not collected in garbage cans, but in non-standard bags. These arethrown into baskets in front of the houses, which are always on higher ground. The reason for this is that there are manyThere are street dogs that tear open the bags and search through the remains for something to eat.The elevation is intended to make things more difficult for the dogs. In many cases they findstill a solution to get to the leftover food.The private companies then collect the bags and bring them to the so-called CEAMSE.Private companies arrive there with their collected garbage and load it without anyclassification or categorization. For this they have to pay the State, to which the CEAMSEheard.

There are some exceptions that are not allowed to dump their waste in the CEAMSE, because the CEAMSEis exclusively for private households. Large companies/industries, shopping malls or even“barrios cerrados” (closed quarters for the wealthy part of the population) maydo not throw their waste at CEAMSE and must therefore have their own recycling systemand disposal.At least that is the theory. In practice, many of the actually excluded casestheir garbage to the CEAMSE. At the same time, not all garbage from the poorer districts ends upin the CEAMSE. Garbage collection often comes less often to these areas. People knowbut also not what their rights are and who they have to turn to so that the garbageis picked up. This is why piles of garbage are often found on street corners and on the side of the road.Since people do not know what else to do in such cases, they burn the garbagein the garden or on the street. The plastic they contain produces toxic smoke.Unfortunately, I have already smelled this smoke myself and can say from my own experiencesay that on the one hand it smells horrible and on the other hand it gives me a headacheI don’t even want to imagine what it’s like to live in a place whereplastic is regularly burned out of hopelessness and ignorance and what this does to the
people and their health.
Wie überall gibt es in einzelnen Fällen selbstverständlich Initiativen und Ideen, um die Abfallproblematik hier zu verändern und zu verbessern. Und wie überall gibt es leider auch viele Ideen, die niemals in Realität umgesetzt werden. Um ein bisschen Hoffnung und Optimismus zu verbreiten, geht es in den folgenden Abschnitten um geglückte Ideen. 

Eine davon befindet sich in meinem Vorgarten. Es ist eine Recyclingstation. Dorthin kann jeder seinen Müll bringen und in verschiedene Kategorien einsortieren. Einen Teil davon verwenden wir in der Baumschule weiter. Dazu gehören PET-Flaschen, Tetrapacks, Milchtüten,
Hundefuttertüten, Styropor in jeglicher Form und Gemüsekisten.
Grafik: Kirsten Scheibke
What we don’t use, Angel picks up. He is part of a cooperative called “Cooperativa delnorte de cartoneros”. He makes a living from the resale of materials such as cardboard, paper,Tetrapacks, PET bottles, metal, glass, PET, etc. Next to the recycling station in front of ourHe also collects garbage from supermarkets. In return, he receivesIn addition, you will receive a small allowance for your expenses. What belongs on the compost heapsHe puts it on his own compost he brings the rest to the headquarters of the cooperative, whichsorts the pre-sorted garbage again, weighs it by category and pays for it. The higher theThe better the quality of the materials, the more money he gets for it, but it is barely enough to live on.

The materials are further processed by the cooperative and then resold. The PET bottlesFor example, the cooperative chops and chops them up. In another company, these pieces are then melted down and pressed into small pellets.These are sent to China, for example, to be used again to make a product there.

Such cooperatives are supported by some communities. But usuallythe so-called “cartoneros” in the informal sector. “Cartoneros” are simply people whocollect the waste in order to resell the materials that can still be recycled. At manyIn some places, especially in the city of Buenos Aires, you can see “cartoneros” who carry the goods with a large type of SChubkarre through the area and from the garbage cans and storage stations that are stillcollect recyclable waste.
The “Cartoneros” are negatively affected by the import of waste, which isArgentina. The import, which has been permitted on a large scale since 2019, is beingCompanies are doing this and they are pushing down the prices for thematerials. The large companies still make a profit through their quantity. The“Cartoneros”, on the other hand, have a much smaller amount and therefore suffer particularly badlyunder the lower prices.

An example of this is Arcor. This is one of the most important food manufacturers in Argentina andnd worldwide. On average, they import 50 million kilograms of cardboard and paper peryear. These materials are worth about nine million dollars.They account for 35% to 50% of the total value of all imported cardboard and paper. Only 50% of theimported waste is recyclable at all. But since imports are so cheap, it makesThe rest simply ends up in the garbage dumps that are actually for thepopulation.In 2021, a law was supposed to be passed against it, butthe power of the companies never came to a decision.

In addition, the companies based here are not really interested in morematerials. In the case of plastic, there is already enough recyclablePlastic waste. The industry could increase its recycling rate byPlastics will increase from 17 to 20% to up to 40%. The problem here is that, as inGermany, too, does not make financial sense to recycle, as it is more expensive to make a productrather than having it produced anew.Even if this sounds progressive at first, in reality only a very small part of the Awaste is recycled, according to UN data, a total of about 6% (in Germany 67.9%, althoughdifferentiated consideration is necessary as to how recycling takes place).
In addition to individual initiatives such as Graciela’s, the state also has a vision for thefuture, which I would like to briefly summarize here. The idea of the Argentine state is totype of circular economy, although we are still far from it.should be recycled more to reduce contamination. This recycling should beReuse of raw materials or generate biogas for energy productionThrough better state-organized recycling, the “cartoneros” are to beinformal sector and thus better working conditionsThe changes are therefore not only intended to create a more livable environmentbut also have major social and economic impacts.

A very simple and quite cheap measure would be if everyone had a compost bin inhis or her garden. This would reduce overall waste by 50%(Figures apply worldwide). The garbage collectors, however, would not be interested in this, as theyKilos of collected waste and thus 50% less waste could be collectedand 50% less income. It would also be a great benefit for the community, as theywould have to pay less and the CEAMSE would be filled much less quickly. Why thisIt is unclear to me whether this measure has not yet been implemented. If you do not have any compost yet,I can only recommend that you get one in Germany too. Because even ifCompost is collected separately in Germany, you can only use your own compostguarantee that your organic waste will be turned back into soil and that the waste will notbe burned unnecessarily or end up in a landfill.


What we can all learn and take with us is, in my opinion, the following:

In my research I came across another system and found that theThe system in Germany has a huge advantage. For me, this is that everyEvery citizen in Germany has to pay directly for waste disposal.pays more if you want to dispose of more and a larger capacity of theGarbage can, and less if you produce less garbage. Because this guaranteesensure that waste is regularly collected, properly disposed of and recycled and thatWorkers are paid fairly.

Of course, we can still improve a lot in Germany, especially when it comes to recyclingand in the previous step the avoidance of plastic in general. The reduction andAvoiding plastic is perhaps the most important measure worldwide to reduceGarbage. But in many cases there is a lack of education, knowledge and the will to change.As in Germany, many things are unnecessarily packaged in plastic.handled plastic bags carelessly and thoughtlessly.

In this context, I would like to tell a story about Graciela. She always went tothe same fruit shop and had her fruit and vegetables automatically packed in plastic bags.She said that she did not want that because she only buys the fruit and vegetables and for the plasticnot pay. Therefore, she unpacked the fruit and vegetables from the bags and left themThe sellers did not understand this at first, as they always sold the fruit and vegetables inplastic bags and did not question their behavior out of habit. After a fewShopping, they understood that Graciela brings her own bags and that not every time
a new bag is necessary.

Today, in the same shop, there is a sign saying that you should be careful withto deal with the plastic bags lying around. This story is intended to show that a changeand rethinking is possible, even if it seems difficult or unpleasant at first.Of course, this does not change the world and does not solve our problem with plastic, butsmall steps to get started.For this, it is important to impart knowledge and support critical questioning. This is exactlyis one of the self-imposed tasks of the NGO “Patrimonio Natural”. With itsThrough lectures, speeches and guided tours, she helps to provide food for thought. She imparts knowledge tochildren, for example, who then tell their parents what they have learned and these (formerlyor later) into action.
We will not solve this problem overnight, but if you are open and willing to learnis, with the small steps you take, you might finally achieve somethingmove and get other people to join in.

“Many small people doing many small things in many small places can change the face of
change the world.”

Kirsten Scheibke

Sources and further information:



Teile diesen Beitrag:
Share by: