J: egE C )0 CAP -C-k--2-7 d,gL- O.1 01. RECYCLING OF TETRA PAK CONTAINERS IN COSTA RICA By: Steven Kaelin Michael Pacyna Shrub Pai RECYCLING OF TETRA PAK CONTAINERS IN COSTA RICA Report Submitted to: Professor Bland Addison Professor Creighton Peet Costa Rica, Project Center By: Steven Kaelin Michael Pacm Shruti Pai In Cooperation With Professor Ronald Arrieta Calvo, Researcher for the Centro de Investigaciones en Contaminacion Ambiental July 3, 2002 This project report is submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of Centro de Investigaciones en Contaminacion Ambiental or Worcester Polytechnic Institute. This report is the product of an education program and is intended to serve as partial documentation for the evaluation of academic achievement. The report should not be construed as a working document by the reader. Abstract The Centro de Investigaciones en Contaminacion Ambiental (CICA) is a Costa Rican environmental organization. CICA wished to research the possibilities for the collection and recycling of Tetra Pak containers, including investigation of possible technological and economic factors involved in establishing a recycling company. The project team has gathered information on current Tetra Pak recycling systems around the world including their processes, impacts, benefits and government policies. We used interviews and surveys to learn more about Costa Rican opinion on and knowledge of recycling and current recycling systems and available technology. After analyzing the data we made recommendations for a Tetra Pak recycling system that best suits Costa Rica. 11 Authorship Page This report entitled, Recycling of Tetra Pak Containers in Costa Rica, was completed on July 3, 2002 with equal contributions from Steven Kaelin, Michael Pacyna, and Shruti Pai. Although some sections were written individually, they were collectively edited and revised. The following is a list of who wrote the first draft of each section, although the final draft of each section was edited and revised by all group members. Executive Summary: MP Introduction: SK, MP, SP Literature Review: 2.1-2.3: MP 2.4: SK 2.5: SK, SP 2.6: SK 2.7: SK, MP, SP 2.8: MP 2.9: SK 2.10-2.12: SP Methodology: 3.1: MP 3.2: SP 3.3: MP 3.4: SK 3.5: SK, SP Results and Analysis: 4.1: MP 4.2: SP 4.3: MP 4.4: SK Conclusions and Recommendations: SK, SP References: SK, MP, SP Appendices: SK, MP, SP iii Acknowledgements In completing this project, there are several people who have been extremely helpful to us, and we would like to thank them. First, we would like to thank our liaison, Prof. Ronald Arrieta as well as our advisors, Prof. Bland Addison and Prof Creighton Peet for all their help and guidance throughout the project. We would also like to thank Bernardo Escobar, Carlos Andres, Anthony Araya, Bernardo Monge, Fernando VonZuben, Sergio Musmanni, and Liliana Umaria for all the information and assistance they provided. Also, we would like to thank Marcela Gamboa de Music, Maria Addison, Annie Pacyna, and Carolina Arrieta for all their help in translating our presentation into Spanish. iv Table of Contents Title Page i Abstract .. ii Authorship Page iii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v List of Tables viii List of Figures ix Executive Summary x Resumen Ejecutivo xiii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter 2. LITERATURE REVIEW & BACKGROUND 5 2.1 Introduction 5 2.2 Tetra Pak Containers 5 2.3 Tetra Pak Containers: Good or Bad for the Environment 8 2.4 Problems for the Recycling Process 10 2.5 Solid Waste Management 12 2.5.1 Composting 13 2.5.2 Landfills 14 2.5.3 Recycling 15 2.5.3a Benefits 16 A. Overview 17 B. Employment 17 C. Economy ..18 2.5.3b Social Factors of Recycling 19 2.5.3c Recycling Programs 21 2.6 Collection Programs ...21 2.6.1 United States 21 2.6.2 Canada 25 2.6.2a Nova Scotia 25 2.6.2b Yukon Territory 26 2.6.3 Germany 26 2.6.4 Brazil .28 2.6.5 Costa Rica 29 2.7 Recycling Methods 30 2.7.1 Hydrapulping 30 2.7.2 Result Technology 33 2.7.3 Closed Water Loop System 34 2.7.4 Chiptec 35 2.7.5 Incineration for Cement 35 2.8 Markets 37 2.9 Resource Recovery Plant 38 2.10 Recycling Policies - Implementation 38 2.11 Considerations for Recycling in Costa Rica 39 v 2.11.1 Economic Planning 39 2.11.2 Community Involvement 40 2.11.3 The Role of Education 41 2.11.4 The Role of Companies 43 2.11.5 The Role of the Government 43 2.11.6 Hypothetical Company Options: Local or Foreign? 44 2.12 Conclusion 45 Chapter 3. METHODOLOGY 47 3.1 Current Waste Conditions in Costa Rica 47 3.2 Existing Recycling Methods 48 3.2.1 Existing Recycling Methods Outside of Costa Rica 48 3.3.2 Existing Recycling Methods In Costa Rica 49 3.3 Cost-Benefit Analysis 49 3.4 Local Interest in Recycling 51 3.5 Making the Decision 53 Chapter 4. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 54 4.1 Current Waste Conditions in Costa Rica 54 4.2 Recycling Programs 56 4.2.1 Collection Methods 56 4.2.1a Curbside Collection 57 4.2.1b Deposit-Refund 58 4.2.1c Drop-Off Centers 58 4.2.1d Summary of Collection Methods 59 4.2.2 Recycling Processes 61 4.2.2a Hydrapulping 63 4.2.2b Chiptec 64 4.2.2c Closed Water Loop System 64 4.2.2d Incineration for Use in Cement 65 4.2.3 Markets 66 4.2.3a Paper, Aluminum, and Plastic (LDPE) 67 4.2.3b Furniture 67 4.2.3c Cement 68 4.2.3d Plastic-Aluminum Agglutinate 68 4.2.4 Summary of Programs 68 4.3 Cost Analysis 70 4.3.1 Investing or Saving 70 4.4 Local Recycling 72 4.4.1 Local Knowledge and Attitudes about Recycling 72 4.4.1a Current Waste Disposal Practices 74 4.4.1b Current Public Interest in Recycling 75 4.4.1c Current Public Knowledge of Recycling 77 4.4.2 Current Corporate Interest in Recycling 80 4.4.3 Current Recycling Education 80 4.4.4 Future Recycling Education 81 4.5 Summary of Results 82 vi Chapter 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 83 5.1 Establish a National Recycling Program 83 5.2 Establish a Source of Funding 84 5.3 Develop a Collection System 85 5.4 Implement Education Programs 86 5.5 Establishing Collection and Recycling Centers 87 5.6 Establish a Recycling Process 88 5.7 Integrate Rural Communities 89 5.8 A Complete Overview 90 Chapter 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES 92 APPENDICES A. Information on Sponsor 97 B. Work Plan 100 C. Why is this Project an IQP 101 D. Interview with Carlos Andres 103 E. Interview with Anthony Araya 109 F. Interview with Bernardo Monge 113 G. Interview with Sergio Musmanni 118 H. Interview with Liliana Umalia 121 I. Interview with Michele Wagner 124 J. Detailed Summary of Interview with Bernardo Escobar 127 K. San Jose Questionnaire (Spanish) 133 L. San Jose Questionnaire (English) 135 M. Recycling Pamphlet from the Canton of Santa Ana 138 N. Contact Information 141 0. Calculation of the Minimal Necessary Collection Rate for Tetra Pak Containers 143 vii List of Tables 4.1 Methods of Collection ..60 4.2 Breakdown of Costs for Collection Methods ...60 4.3 Cost Comparison for Chiptec and Closed Water Loop System 62 4.4 Comparison of Operation Factors for Chiptec and Closed Water Loop System 62 4.5 Survey Demographic Information 73 viii List of Figures 2.1 Gable Top Carton 6 2.2 Aseptic Container 7 4.1 Startup Costs for Tetra Pak Recycling Methods 63 4.2 Flow Chart of Recycling Program Options 69 4.3 Respondents' Interest in Tetra Brik Recycling (Metropolitan Region of San Jose) 76 4.4 Respondents' Interest in Tetra Brik Recycling (Canton of Santa Ana) 76 4.5 People's Perception of the Best Way to Handle Tetra Brik Waste 78 4.6 Households with Children Who Had Homework Relating to Solid Waste Management or Recycling 79 4.7 Respondents' Views on the Problems that Tetra Paks Create for the Environment .79 5.1 Recycling Program Summary 91 ix Executive Summary The amount of waste being produced in Costa Rica is continually rising. With this increase, landfills are filling up at an accelerated rate, and as this happens, more land must be used to replace the filled landfills. This process, of course, creates a problem for Costa Rica, since it is trying to preserve the land and its natural beauty. One obvious solution to the waste problem is recycling. Our project deals with the recycling of a packaging material commonly used to preserve foods, Tetra Pak containers. By recycling these containers, one can: a) recover the layers of valuable resources b) decrease the amount of waste entering a landfill, thereby prolonging its lifespan, and c) reduce the consumption of virgin materials. Currently, there is no recycling system in place for Tetra Pak containers in Costa Rica. All of these containers are being sent to landfills, where they take up precious space. In researching recycling programs for these containers, we discovered several problems. First, the containers are very lightweight, which means, economically, you need a rather large quantity of them in order to run a recycling program.