translated from Spanish: 10 thousand glass bottles will be delivered to replace plastic containers at Rapa Nui

Rapa Nui is one of the greatest treasures in Chile and the world. Its almost 164 km2 extension is the cradle of an ancient culture, which stands out for its spirit connected to nature.
However, the island is no stranger to the planet’s environmental problems. In fact, in the same southern hemisphere there is a plastic “island” of nearly 2 million km2 of extension that threatens marine life of the Pacific Ocean.
For this reason, the citizen cause Elige Vidrio and the Municipality of Rapa Nui came together to develop during 2020 various initiatives that ensure the reduction of the consumption of disposable plastic and consolidate the recycling of glass on the island.
Hence, since February 6 began the delivery of 10 thousand bottles of glass refill specially designed for Rapa Nui, which will avoid the consumption of at least 150 thousand single-use plastic bottles during the days of the Tapati. This great impact is achieved by simply filling the bottle once a day for 15 days of Rapa Nui’s great costumbrista festival, which each February gathers thousands of visitors from all over the world.
With the message “Rapa Nui Hai Mahatu, Hapa’o te henua” (“Rapa Nui lovingly cares for the island”), this bottle of refill is also 100% recyclable, promoting a waste-free island committed to the circular economy.
“We are happy to take this first step in our virtuous relationship with Rapa Nui. These refill glass bottles represent the dream of all who want to take care of the planet and in particular the island. Through the refill we will be decreasing the consumption of single-use plastic and promoting a sustainable culture that goes hand in hand with the respect that each inhabitant and visitor has to this land”, says Isidora Mas, spokeswoman of Choose Glass.
For his part, the Mayor of Rapa Nui, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, said that this campaign is very welcome, because until today they did not know what to do with the glass, for its handling, volume and diversity. “Added to this is the prohibition that exists in the health issue, as the glass container facilitates the proliferation of vectors that cause diseases so
such as dengue or Zika,” he said, adding that they hope that over time large companies that bring plastic to the island will switch to glass and that they will act circularly, with a representative meaning for the island.
If you want to know more, we invite you to visit our website Choose Vidrio.cl and join our social networks on Facebook and Instagram.

Original source in Spanish