Colombia produces around twelve million tonnes of waste per year - 17% of which is currently recycled.

The total amount of waste may be small in terms of waste management, but it exceeds the current capacity of landfills in the cities of Bogotá, Quibdó and Bucaramanga, resulting in increasing pollution. This in turn pollutes the cities, the air and affects the health and lives of citizens.

The government has set itself the goal of increasing the recycling rate to 40% in the coming years. To this end, a law has been passed to promote the recycling of waste as part of the promotion of the circular economy and other regulations.

With this project for the care of the common home, the Salvatorian Sisters in the aforementioned cities promote awareness of environmentally conscious behaviour through waste avoidance, correct waste separation and the reuse of materials in order to maintain and restore a habitable and liveable environment. 

The project includes the following activities:

• Mapping where the sources of waste
  are discovered
• Organisation of working groups
• Celebrating environmental events:
  World Day against Air Pollution
  World Day of the Tree
  Day for the Conservation of Endangered Areas
• Workshops on the reuse of materials
• Purchase and delivery of items that promote
  waste separation.

The beneficiaries are groups from various parishes, women's groups and schools in the neighbourhood of the communities in the towns of Bogota, Quibdo and Bucaramanga.

The project requires 8.800 euros