After the case of a garbage collector who suffered a serious cut on one of his legs after picking up a bag that was found with glass went viral on social networks, the deputy for the Ñuble Region and member of the Environmental Commission of The Lower House, Cristóbal Martínez, decided to present a bill to punish those who throw – without due concern – any type of product that could cause an injury, such as any sharp element.
In this regard, although the UDI parliamentarian agreed that in recent times there has been greater concern about the management of household waste, he warned that the injuries and injuries that garbage collectors usually suffer continue to be a constant throughout from the country.
For this reason, and following the examples that some countries such as Germany, Japan or the United States have already implemented, where it is prohibited to throw dangerous or sharp elements – such as broken glass – into the common garbage, the representative of District 19 proposed replicating said model. in Chile, in such a way as to prevent the injuries that workers constantly suffer.
“Garbage collectors perform an absolutely vital job in the functioning of our country, so our obligation is to protect them and prevent them from suffering any type of accident during their work day. Unfortunately, cuts and injuries caused by the presence of broken glass in the garbage are more common than one thinks, even reaching cases where a collector must become overwhelmed and receive points, as we saw this week. “That is why it seems entirely pertinent to us that there be a management plan established by law, where all people who do not decide to separate sharp elements from common garbage receive a financial penalty in order to begin to raise awareness in the country,” said Deputy Martínez.
Along these lines, the parliamentarian for Ñuble clarified that the initiative will not prohibit depositing sharp items in household garbage, but will define the way to do it, for example by warning that a bag contains broken glass or separating them in a box that cannot be transferred. For those who fail to comply with the regulations, Martínez explained that they could receive a fine of a UTM.
But in addition, the UDI deputy also proposed that those who cause some type of injury by not complying with the rule must assume the medical expenses that a collector eventually incurs.
“One of the main ways to raise awareness in our society and stop these accidents is by establishing exemplary sanctions, where all people know that if they are not going to separate sharp items from common garbage, it is most likely that they will not only have to pay a fine, but also the medical expenses if a collector suffers an injury,” he reiterated.
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