The main objective of the ECOLECTIVOS project is to solve the problem of poor management of plastic waste, focusing on not burning it. Working together with the rural communities of La Montaña de Santa Maria Xalapán, Jalapa,

The ECOLECTIVOS project was designed by the Center for Health Studies (CES) of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, in the United States. We received funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Combustion of plastic waste and human health effects in Guatemala,NIH: 5R01ES032009; clinicaltrials.gov:  5R01ES032009).

METHODOLOGY

Our intervention uses COMMUNITY WORK GROUPS, to implement and evaluate strategies to reduce the burning of plastic waste. We use the theoretical framework of Capability, Opportunity and Motivation (guided by Michie's 'Wheel of Behavior Change' framework) to identify barriers and facilitators to sustain alternative activities to burning plastic. Glasgow’s RE-AIM framework will be used to assess fidelity of the intervention implementation, the scope and potential for scale-up.

APPROACH

The presence of single-use plastic materials and the practice of burning these materials  are of particular interest. Through workshops and activities, the topics covered during the first 8 sessions of the working groups are:

• The health and environmental reasons NOT to burn these materials
• Good waste management and the importance of recycling
• Why and which materials are valuable waste to reuse
• Impacts that plastics have on the environment, on human health and on various animal species
• Sustainable alternatives to reduce the use of plastics
• The importance of the concept of Environmental Justice
• Examples of concrete and inspiring projects

At the end of the first 8 sessions, ECOLECTIVOS works with each community to choose local sustainable strategies based on community workgroup findings to reduce air pollution from burning plastic waste. This can take the form of recycling programs, community clean-up campaigns, reforestation, projects to make compost or to make handicrafts from plastic waste.