The Other Pandemic — Charlie Cordero

An inhabitant of the island of Tierrabomba travels to Cartagena, the most touristic city in the country, in a boat with passengers in the first days of opening of beaches in this city after the Covid-19 pandemic. By request of the national governmen… — An inhabitant of the island of Tierrabomba travels to Cartagena, the most touristic city in the country, in a boat with passengers in the first days of opening of beaches in this city after the Covid-19 pandemic. By request of the national government, the mask is mandatory throughout the national territory.

The plastics industry, in Colombia and in the world, has been arguing for 50 years that they are the best option in terms of public health. But: are they the safest option to prevent the spread of covid-19? There is no scientific evidence to prove i… — The plastics industry, in Colombia and in the world, has been arguing for 50 years that they are the best option in terms of public health. But: are they the safest option to prevent the spread of covid-19? There is no scientific evidence to prove it.

Wendy lives together with her brothers and cousins in the Barrio Rebolo of the city of Barranquilla where at least half of its population is dedicated to recycling. After the collection days that his family members carry out and after fulfilling a… — Wendy lives together with her brothers and cousins in the Barrio Rebolo of the city of Barranquilla where at least half of its population is dedicated to recycling. After the collection days that his family members carry out and after fulfilling all his academic obligations, he goes to the door of his house to help with the separation of materials without any protection measures. However, local governments strive to promote the use of masks and biosecurity items among waste pickers.

Since the quarantines began, alcohol bottles have become increasingly common among the plastics that arrive at the collection centers of recyclable material throughout the city.

Carlos shows his hands in the middle of the work day. One of his biggest fears is catching COVID-19 from the face masks that he finds daily while he goes through the garbage for recyclable material. He confesses that he does not usually use protecti… — Carlos muestra sus manos en medio de la jornada laboral. Uno de sus mayores temores es contagiarse de COVID-19 por las mascarillas que encuentra a diario mientras busca material reciclable en la basura. Confiesa que no suele utilizar guantes de protección porque esto dificulta mucho la labor de reciclaje ya que al tacto pueden definir si abren o no una bolsa o qué material podrían encontrar dentro.

Garbage room of a building north of the city. — Cuarto de basura de un edificio al norte de la ciudad.

After the reincorporation of economic activities, the demand for masks has increased exponentially. The worrying thing is that no precise information has been provided by the health authority regarding how to handle PPE (masks, gloves, biosafety sui… — Tras la reincorporación de actividades económicas, la demanda de mascarillas se ha anunciado exponencialmente. Lo preocupante es que no se ha brindado información precisa por parte de la autoridad sanitaria sobre cómo manejar los EPP (mascarillas, guantes, trajes de bioseguridad) dentro de nuestras casas, y por lo tanto terminan mezclados con todos los demás desechos, con el riesgo evidente de cruzar contaminacion.

The city of Santa Marta, in the Colombian Caribbean is considered one of the pioneer cities in the implementation of policies and strategies that make it a plastic-free city. Currently and after years of environmental education work carried out by d… — La ciudad de Santa Marta, en el Caribe colombiano, es considerada una de las ciudades pioneras en la implementación de políticas y estrategias que la cambiarán en una ciudad libre de plástico. En la actualidad y luego de años de trabajo de educación realizado por diferentes entidades, es ambiental común observar cómo la población de los barrios populares recicla y entrega material aprovechable de manera organizada y sistemática a recicladores como Leidy y Andrea que día por medio recorren el barrio . bajo el llamado: ¡reciclaje! ¡reciclaje!.

Recyclers and workers from one of the collection centers carry a sack of plastic after being weighed. The rules of distancing and the use of biosecurity equipment are very scarce in these spaces. — Recicladores y trabajadores de uno de los centros de acopio cargan un saco de plástico luego de ser pesado. Las reglas de distanciamiento y el uso de equipos de bioseguridad son muy escasos en estos espacios.

Notebook where the accounts of each recycler are recorded. Between 5-10 dollars is the average profit of a recycler in Colombia. — Cuaderno donde se registran las cuentas de cada reciclador. Entre 5-10 dólares es la ganancia promedio de un reciclador en Colombia.

Inside one of the recyclable material collection centers where recyclers sell the collected material. Although the biosafety guidelines and regulations require that they wear gloves and masks to work, many of them tend to ignore it due to the heat o… — Interior de uno de los centros de acopio de material reciclable donde los recicladores venden el material recolectado. Si bien los lineamientos y normas de bioseguridad exigen que usen guantes y mascarillas para trabajar, muchos de ellos tienden a ignorarlo por el calor o las dificultades para realizar su trabajo.

Night scene inside one of the collection centers for recyclable material in the center of the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. — Escena nocturna en el interior de uno de los centros de acopio de material reciclable en el centro de la ciudad de Barranquilla, Colombia.

A recycler wearing a protective mask at the end of his workday — Un reciclador con mascarilla protectora al final de su jornada laboral

Container of hazardous waste from Covid-19 patients or suspects inside the Women's Clinic in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia — Contenedor de residuos peligrosos de pacientes o sospechosos de Covid-19 dentro de la Clínica de la Mujer en la ciudad de Santa Marta, Colombia

An operator from the Ingeoambiente company in charge of the collection and final disposal of hazardous materials in the city of Cartagena removes a tank with waste from covid-19 patients from the Bocagrande hospital. — Un operario de la empresa Ingeoambiente encargado de la recolección y disposición final de materiales peligrosos en la ciudad de Cartagena extraer un tanque con desechos de pacientes de covid-19 del hospital de Bocagrande.

Wilmer Castro has worked for more than 8 years in the SAC company in charge of the collection, transportation and final disposal of hazardous waste associated with hospitals and industries, although his activity is considered quite dangerous since h… — Wilmer Castro trabaja desde hace más de 8 años en la empresa SAC encargado de la recolección, transporte y disposición final de residuos peligrosos asociados a hospitales e industrias, aunque su actividad se considera bastante peligrosa ya que está en constante contacto con la basura de los pacientes covid -19 menciona que el principal temor es no contagiarse en el trabajo ya que son muy cuidadosos con las normas de bioseguridad, sin embargo en el día a día tienden a relajarse un poco más y hay mayor riesgo de contagio.

Annually, on average, Colombia generates 50,000 tons of hospital waste. Some hospitals have had an increase in biowaste of up to 30%, likely due to COVID-19. Bocagrande Hospital, Cartagena, Colombia. — Anualmente, en promedio, Colombia genera 50.000 toneladas de residuos hospitalarios. Algunos hospitales han tenido un aumento biológico en los desechos de hasta un 30 %, probablemente debido a la COVID-19. Hospital de Bocagrande, Cartagena, Colombia.

An operator of the ingeambiente company weighs the last tanks of hazardous materials collected in the morning in the city of Cartagena, Colombia — Un operario de la empresa ingeambiente pesa los últimos tanques de materiales peligrosos recogidos en la mañana en la ciudad de Cartagena, Colombia

An official from the city's aqueduct and sewer company cleans the city's drains and sewers. Barranquilla, the largest city in the Colombian Caribbean region, suffers from a problem that still seems to have no solution: the streams that run through i… — Un funcionario de la empresa de acueductos y alcantarillados de la ciudad limpia los desagües y alcantarillas de la ciudad. Barranquilla, la ciudad más grande de la región Caribe colombiana, sufre un problema que aún parece no tener solución: los riachuelos que recorren sus calles con cada lluvia. Este fenómeno provoca que todos los residuos sean arrastrados por estos arroyos hasta los conductos que alimentan el río Magdalena a pocos kilómetros de su desembocadura en el Mar Caribe.

This is what the garbage trap located in the León stream on the outskirts of the city of Barranquilla, Colombia looks like. The most common material to find is Styrofoam and pet bottles. Styrofoam is one of the few materials that are not recycled in… — This is what the garbage trap located in the León stream on the outskirts of the city of Barranquilla, Colombia looks like. The most common material to find is Styrofoam and pet bottles. Styrofoam is one of the few materials that are not recycled in the city, therefore it becomes one of the most polluting waste and which is easy to find on the shores of the beaches in the region.

Styrofoam located in the León stream on the outskirts of the city of Barranquilla, Colombia

Our consumption of single-use plastic is on the rise. In Colombia, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection established (Circular 015 of 2020) that food delivered to the home must be double-bagged. Even foods that come in biodegradable packaging and bags in natural environments (cardboard or aluminum) are delivered inside a plastic bag.

Mask and gloves found during an underwater cleaning day in the waters of Tierrabomba Island located in front of the Bay of Cartagena, Colombia

This is the "coconut beach" next to the mouth of the Manzanares river that runs from north to south the city of Santa Marta, in the Colombian Caribbean. Despite the efforts and actions carried out for more than 8 years to be considered the first cit… — This is the "coconut beach" next to the mouth of the Manzanares river that runs from north to south the city of Santa Marta, in the Colombian Caribbean. Despite the efforts and actions carried out for more than 8 years to be considered the first city without plastics in the country, some residents still continue to throw their waste and garbage into the river and these end up adorning the shores of the beaches with mountains of plastics and styrofoam.