The country, which was sung about by tigers and bears and fell into disrepute through SZ research on letterbox companies and tax scandals, is also known for its huge mangrove swamps. In Panama, one hectare of mangroves can bind 123,312 tons of CO2; the roughly corresponds to the annual emissions of 13 citizens from Germany. But like so many vital biotopes on earth, the mangrove forests are also threatened – in Panama above all by the increasing proportion of plastic waste in nature. This “affects not only the mangroves and the coastal marine systems, but also the rivers, because everything that is carried away by them also ends up in the sea”, explains the scientist Natalia Tejedor from the Technological University of Panama to the channel Euronews.
The picture is always the same on many beaches and riverbanks: mountains consisting of plastic bottles, bags, containers and dishes spoil the landscape. The reason for this is the consumer behavior of the population, which has changed drastically in recent times. While industrialized nations in the Global North underwent this development several years or decades ago, plastic-packaged food, plastic bags and tableware have only recently experienced a boom in emerging and developing countries.
Panama’s only garbage plant
The fact that knowledge about the harmful consequences of colorful and practical plastic for nature and the health of the population in countries like Panama is not widespread is not only due to the level of education of the population. Corrupt governments also contribute to this. In addition infrastructure is lacking in most countriesto properly dispose of, store and recycle waste. There is currently only one landfill site in Panama.
The Cerro Patacon plant is located near Panama City and has been in operation since 1987. Around 1000 tons of waste are stored there every day; calculated on an annual basis, this corresponds to approximately 365,000 tons for the 4.135 million inhabitants. Compared to Germany, this is a hardly significant proportion. In this country, the population produced around 360 million tons per year in 2019 alone.
Trash litters streets in Panama’s slums
Nevertheless, the mountains of rubbish in Panama are a steadily growing problem – not only on the coasts, riverbanks and beaches. As the newspaper “La Prensa Latina” reported in February, the garbage is piling up in the slums of Panama City in particular. Pathways are blocked by the rubbish and aside from the stench, local residents also suffered from the flies and worms that are attracted to the piles of rubbish. “Rats go to church in the afternoon and at night. And the pastor has to scare them away again in the morning. It’s unthinkable that the garbage is here,” A local resident describes the situation.
The situation is similar in other poor parts of the capital, where residents feel abandoned by the authorities – the municipal waste disposal authority sees the problem in the ailing vehicle fleet. According to official information, only 30 garbage trucks and presses are in use. However, representatives of environmental organizations warn that a lack of knowledge about proper waste disposal in the slums is also part of the problem. In one part of the city, the residents finally got down to removing the waste from the streets and paths themselves.
But that doesn’t solve the water problem. In May, the NGO Marea Verde built Latin America’s first hydraulic wheel for garbage collection and put it into operation on the Juan Diaz River, which is one of the dirtiest rivers in Panama. Wanda – an acronym for “Wheel in Action” – is designed to fish the garbage out of the water sustainably and is powered by solar energy. A US engineer in Baltimore came up with the idea, and the NGO Marea Verde secured the financial means in a competition to bring the river waste collection system to the region.
In addition, Wanda should provide information about the types of waste using artificial intelligence and cameras. The data collected is intended to raise awareness of the challenges of waste disposal for residents in towns and cities.
Sources: “euro news“, Panama City Project Center“La Prensa Latina“, Tropical waste dilemma: Waste management in Panama, Engineering & Technology