Trash-free Neighborhoods boosted the tons of recycling collected in 2022 by 80%

The Comuna Sin Basura [Trash-free Neighborhoods] Challenge increased the tons of recovered recycled waste by 80% compared to 2021. The sustainable waste management initiative was implemented by CMPC, together with the municipalities of Mulchén, Los Angeles, Nacimiento, Laja and Collipulli, various social organizations and Kyklos.

In order to turn the many districts of Chile into “trash-free neighborhoods”, the territorial Trash-free Neighborhoods team has engaged in waste recovery efforts since the end of 2020 in the districts where it currently operates (Mulchén, Los Ángeles, Nacimiento, Laja, Collipulli, Negrete and Yerbas Buenas).

In September, the team led by CMPC and managed by Kyklos, a B company of environmental culture. together with the municipalities and communities managed to increase the recovered waste by 80% compared to last year in which a total of 22.84 tons was collected. As of September 2022, 42,982 tons have been recovered so far, reaching 98% of the collection goal of the Trash-free Neighborhoods program for this year.

The Trash-free Neighborhoods initiative includes waste collection through a home recycling program called House-to-House Recycling, gathering materials from educational establishments, chambers of commerce and local institutions, community events, and CMPC Company production plants.

“This initiative not only seeks to reduce the amount of garbage generated in each district to a minimum, but also aims to build capacity in each location so that once this program is completed, the municipalities along with civil society can continue with good recovery rates, thus reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and sanitary dumps,” said Paula Aguirre, who leads the CMPC sustainability department.

To date, Trash-free Neighborhoods has managed to collect 63.86 tons of trash primarily handled by local managers. Implementation began in 2020 in the districts in the Regions of Bío Bío (Los Ángeles, Mulchén, Nacimiento, and Laja) and the Araucanía (Collipulli). It began in Negrete in Bío Bío in 2021, and will be launched soon in the district of San Rosendo. In the Araucanía Region, implementation is planned this year for the district of Loncoche. In 2022, the program made it the Maule region, kicking off the Trash-free Yerbas Buenas Challenge in the same district.