The second life of materials. Recycling and its applicability in architecture and urban design

Abstract

The challenge facing humanity is to break with the schemes, set aside traditional behaviors and start taking healthy actions that involve all aspects of the environment. The management of waste and emphatically the reuse of waste materials, is one of the strategies that little by little take force in this society that is seeing the damage caused by each of its actions, the excessive consumption of natural resources , the industries, the cities and in general the daily life of an irresponsible humanity, things that evidence and ask for a change.

The inadequate management of waste is one of those screams that at a global level constitutes one of the main environmental problems of great magnitude, and even more in urban contexts, the impact on the environment, the economy and health. Every year around 7,000 and 10,000 million tons of waste are being generated worldwide and this increases year-on-year approximately 1,900 million tons on the planet. In addition, 3,500 million people lack the service or facilities for the control and management of waste, and if no concrete measures are taken and resources are allocated to combat this reality, this alarming figure would increase, by 2050 it is estimated at 5,300 million people who do not they would have access to waste management services. Aspects that increase this situation are, for example, the records that show that 70% of waste is disposed of in landfills and only 19% is recycled, becoming very common in certain areas. countries there are places where many elements cry out for a second chance. landfills, dumps and / or garbage dumps are open-air spaces that do not comply with the proper technical specifications; where it continues with the practice of collection without classification and / or separation of the waste from the origin, an obsolete tendency to deal with waste management, which must be beyond the collection and final disposal and pass to efficient management; collection, storage, classification, treatment, use and final disposal of waste, thinking towards sustainability.

A complex term, elusive for many but very popular these days, but applied in an honest and true way is the solution to this critical situation that demands all sectors to work on strategies to be friendly with the environment and satisfy the At the same time your needs or demands, social and environmental responsibility must be present in every action and thought that is conceived, it is not a whim, it is not fashion or vanity is an urgent necessity, the planet can not afford to continue on the same path towards self-destruction. The usability of waste in the field of architecture, construction, urban planning and design is one of the strategies to mitigate the high consumption and impact rate that these activities generate for the environment, as well as being something that benefits from other points of interest. seen as it is the economic and the energetic, betting on the transformation and reuse is an ambitious but realistic challenge.