Author: Lima 2019 press release Lima, 16 September 2019

LIMA 2019 POSITIONS ITSELF AS FIRST GREEN GAMES

• Over 370,000 plastic bottles, 28,000 kg of cardboard and nearly 1500 kg of paper were recycled during the Games.

• Se logró reciclar más de 370 mil botellas de plástico, 28 mil kilos de cartón y casi 1,500 kilos de papel, durante los Juegos.

The Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games have set another precedent at an international level by being considered the first environmentally responsible Pan American and Parapan American Games in history.  

The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, in agreement with the National Agency of Natural Areas Protected by the Government and the Ministry of the Environment, developed a master plan to minimize, quantify and neutralize the pollution generated during the full duration of the Games, held from July 26 to September 1. 

As a part of this plan, a solid waste management strategy was developed to enable recycling a number of elements. For example, 370 thousand 625 ml bottles were recycled thanks to the differentiated bins installed and other recycling mechanisms in the sports precincts and the villages where the athletes stayed. 

Likewise, 28,707.60 kg of cardboard, 12,289.90 kg of plastic and 1,486.60 kg of paper were recycled. With these numbers, Lima 2019 avoided the felling of 1500 trees, on average, significantly minimizing the deforestation of the country’s forests. 

Lima 2019 seeks to leave an environmental legacy for the entire continent by compensating for the pollution generated and measuring the event’s carbon footprint, as well as mitigating it by purchasing carbon credits. 

In this way, by laying emphasis on good environmental practices, Lima 2019 sets a milestone in the history of the Pan American and Parapan American Games, with the aim of serving as an example at a continental level for upcoming competitions.