Interview with Cristóbal Pollman, Founder of Wasthy.
Cristóbal Pollman has been living in Europe for years and notices the difference in environmental awareness between Europe and Latin America. In England, he says, there is a huge difference. Everything is recycled. “For me, it is so simple to optimize this: why can’t something be done with everything that has already been thrown away? Why are there tons of this garbage?” he wonders. As a way of responding to his concerns, he and Jorge Catalán founded Wasthy, a company that is committed to making the world a better place to live by eradicating plastic, which is so polluting and can be reused very little.
How did the idea of creating Wasthy come about?
I was talking to Jorge about another project and suddenly he started explaining the wastes to energy topic and the technology. Not only was it well received, but it fit perfectly with what I was thinking, because I am tired of plastic. Why do we have to consume so much plastic, if it is single-use and we throw it away. So, we have a volume of waste that is generated that has no other purpose.
What exactly do they want to do with Wasthy?
Conceptually, it is about how we can reduce plastic waste and reduce garbage, but not only reduce it, but optimize it, because once it is thrown away it does nothing but bury it. And if you bury it, it decomposes, generates methane gas, and we are still warming the planet, just like landfills.
How does Wasthy work?
As we cannot use technology or something that allows us to take advantage of the plastic we have already used, we want to turn it into something that is useful for something, instead of throwing it away. It is a much more technical, much more precise solution that has a much greater impact. The reason for Wasthy for me is that we try to end plastic.
How do you visualize Wasthy?
I envision it as a cause. It is the cause to not only reduce, but to try to eliminate plastic. The vision is about how we can generate energy or separate basic materials and energy so that the energy allows us to generate new products based on renewed basic products of the same… basically a circular economy. Ultimately, it’s about how we can make waste better.
How can we make garbage better?
It comes more with the concept of trying to make the environment more clean, it’s about cleaning up. The tangible aspect is that everything will be cleaner because the plastic will be collected, we will burn it, make energy, and be able to make more, meaning that cycle keeps going and as a result, there should be less disorganized garbage. The plastic will not be scattered everywhere because it will be seen as a commodity.
What pillars do you believe Wasthy is based on?
I believe Wasthy is based on several pillars. Transparency is one of them, which means having a clear drive towards the goal. Commitment is also important because if you’re committed, it means you truly believe that you can make a difference. I see it as a cause. Another concept that I like is motivation.
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