Thanks to its efficient Integral Waste Management program, the Unicentro shopping center based in the Colombian capital, Bogotá, received the Sustainable Colombia Award 2012, represented in a Gold seal and for its rainwater treatment process it obtained a Silver seal.
With an annual investment of approximately US$160,000 in environmental initiatives and a generation of between 80 and 100 direct jobs in these initiatives, Unicentro Bogotá has been demonstrating its commitment to the protection of the environment and natural resources during its processes.
The establishment has had significant results through which 200 tons of recycled material are recovered per year and a saving of 20% in water consumption per month, collecting on average about 4,000 cubic meters per month.
In an interview conducted by Dinero magazine, Horacio Lince Calle, manager of Unicentro Bogotá, said that this recognition shows that "we are on the right track and motivates us to continue being committed to the environment. It is a great satisfaction to see that our initiatives are leaving their mark and contributing to the quality of life of Colombians."
In the search for energy savings, the establishment has about 3,000 lamps controllable by means of a dimerizable system that allows adjusting the light conditions with respect to the amount of natural light that there is during the day. With this measure, the mall avoids emitting 400 tons of coal and 800 tons of CO2 per year.
Also, thanks to a program of collection and proper disposal of cadmium and nickel batteries, the company manages to recover an average of 500 units per week, which, in other conditions, would go to landfills or water bodies. With this, the contamination of 75 million liters of water is avoided taking into account that a single battery can contaminate 167,000 liters of water.
