O Programa de Compostagem Acelerada por Biotecnologia conquistou importantes reconhecimentos em 2022

Porto Itapoá is joining in, reducing its environmental footprint and holding events for the community

The UN (United Nations) has declared that the theme for 2023’s World Environment Day is “Beat Plastic Pollution”. The aim is to encourage initiatives that reduce its use, ensure that it is disposed of correctly and show how countries, companies and individuals are learning how to use plastic more sustainably. Porto Itapoá has generated a number of initiatives in support of this. One of these is ensuring that the whole Terminal only uses paper or reusable cups, while another initiative by Porto Itapoá to reduce its environmental footprint, which has already won awards and recognition, is its Composting Program.

To celebrate World Environment Day on June 5th, Porto Itapoá is running a program that involves both its workers and the community. On this day, tents will be set up in front of the Terminal to hand out native saplings, flowers, vegetables and medicinal plants. There will also be donations of natural fertilizer, made within the Terminal from organic compost.

About Porto Itapoá’s Composting Program

The Biotechnical Accelerated Composting Program won significant prizes in 2022: the Fritz Muller Award, from the Department of the Environment of the State of Santa Catarina, and the BMW Supplier Day Award, which is awarded among the carmaker’s supply chain to those who share their commitment to sustainability. Porto Itapoá hired Organa Biotech to help them develop the award-winning initiative and had support from Maná do Brasil and Orbenk in implementing the logistics to recover the kitchen waste and raising the awareness of staff on reducing waste in the restaurant.

The result has been a reduced environmental footprint and more support for recycling and the circular economy. Food waste from the restaurant fell by 42% and more effective recycling reduced the amount of plastic in the organic waste by 93%. By the end of 2022, around 23,000 kg of waste had been composted, and turned into 9,000 kg of organic compost. If this amount of waste had gone to landfill, it would have caused 28.7 thousand kg of CO2eq – the gas responsible for the greenhouse effect – to be released into the atmosphere. Composting has helped us to reduce emissions to 14,900 kg of CO2 and we have saved 3,000 plastic bags by using buckets to take waste from the kitchen.

About World Environment Day

World Environment Day is the United Nations’ primary method of encouraging global awareness and action on behalf of the environment. It has been celebrated annually since 1973 and has also become a vital platform to promote progress on the environmental dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals. Under the leadership of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), more than 150 countries take part each year. Major corporations, non-governmental organizations, communities, governments and celebrities around the world have used World Environment Day to champion environmental causes.

Information about Plastic Pollution

• Over 400 million metric tons of plastic is produced every year.
• Half of this is only intended for single use.
• Of this total, less than 10% is recycled.
• It is estimated that between 19 to 23 million metric tons ends up in lakes, rivers and seas.
• Today, plastic is overwhelming landfill, leaking into the ocean and, when burned, creates smoke, which makes it one of the most serious threats to the planet.

Everyone can do their part, reducing their consumption of plastic and reusing and recycling it!