SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE USE OF POLYETHYLENE TEREPTHALATE (PET) WASTE IN COLOMBIA (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The use of polymers for industrial use has proliferated in different contextsdue to itshighconsumption in multipleservices for society. Mass production schemes for itemsmade from PolyethyleneTerephthalate (PET) have considerablyincreased the amount of waste that must be disposed of[1]. The low rates of recycled material generate a problem that manycountriescurrentlyface[2], particularlyifLatin American countries are analyzed, where the lowestpercentages of reuse of polyethyleneTerephthalate are found[3][4].Due to the above, vulnerabilityconditions can be identified around the final disposal of this type of waste and the repercussions from the environmental and social point of view that the disposal of PET waste has in a conventional way.[5].In Colombia, recyclingcompaniesbuy PET waste that can be recycled, such as bottles and caps, at convenientcosts; Given the conditionsunder which this recycling process iscarriedout and itslack of regulation, this practiceconstitutes a high-value economic activity in the lowestsocioeconomiclevels.[6]. Among the technical proposals to review this process, there are alternative uses of these materials with theirtransformation into new materials, which helps to mitigate the environmentalimpact, considering the time required for the degradation of this type of waste.

[7] [8]. This study seeks to address the issue of PET recycling from the technical context of engineering, in addition to identifyingsomeactors that make up the Colombian social fabriclinked to the issue, which isintegrated with a technical proposal for a new material that allows an impact social, political and environmental regarding its use. Likewise, technical elements and characteristics of the material are evaluated, as well as the environmentalconsequencesderived from its use. For this, PET isproposed as a fundamental component for the development of a pavementstructure that favors the social, environmental and technical environment in terms of functionality and service.[9]. In this sense, a numericalsimulationmodel was developedusing the finite element methodology, with the aim of carryingout a preliminarytheoreticalevaluation of the feasibility of using PET as a material for the construction of alternative pavements. In the same way, it was possible to identify that the structuresubjected to light trafficloadsmay be able to support the appliedstresses without reaching a permanentdeformation according to the simulationmodelsdeveloped for different types of structures.[10][11].It isconcluded that in preliminaryconditions, the PET presentscharacteristics that can guarantee the necessaryresistance and functionality so that the simulatedstructures can be used as pavements for light traffic; In social and environmentalterms, this guides the search for strategies to mitigate the impact that it generates on the environment and new possibilities for communities to generatebusiness ideas with this type of waste.