In response to the impact of waste management, Eurochile has implemented this initiative with the support of Gore Los Lagos through the National Regional Development Fund. With a duration of 24 months, the programme will benefit 200 participants, covering a wide range of key actors in the province, recognising them as essential elements in the recycling and waste management chain.

The Regional Governor of Los Lagos, Patricio Vallespin, stresses that “this is a fundamental issue in our field, on technologies in waste management, circular business models, eco-design, which are all issues that SMEs in our region and waste managers should know and participate in the processes involved, therefore, also in this programme what we seek is that this training offer allows installing the circular economy as a requirement, waste management as a requirement for green entrepreneurship that the region must achieve and that is framed in the pact for a sustainable and inclusive region, also the idea is that the knowledge that those who participate in this have allows them to improve their sustainable value offer of their products in such a way as to generate changes in production processes and processing of the materials they use and we also want to deliver some equipment with a focus on improving the pre-treatment capacity required for existing waste to generate waste managers who do their job better”.

“Here we are going to work with grassroots recyclers to see the gaps they have in order to effectively provide a better service that will hopefully allow us to make an integrated use of all waste that could be reused, recycled or redesigned for other processes, so I think the programme is moving forward, for the region because we are preparing for our economy to be effectively circular“, he added.

To achieve these objectives, data collection and updating work has been carried out, in addition to more than 11 workshops for key actors in the province.

Regarding the presentation of new waste management models based on the European experience, these have been developed through workshops and a Spanish consultancy where 2 Implementation Plans for Mixed Waste Management (household and industrial as well as urban and rural) were elaborated in a participatory way. The European experts who have worked in the programme disseminating and transferring knowledge and experiences on Waste Management, Ecodesign and Circular Economy are the Spanish expert Ferran Climent, Co-founder of RedECO, and the French expert Linnet Solway, both recognised for their experience in Circular Economy.

Moreover, the training sessions have been conducted with the main objective of raising awareness and inspiring participants, while providing them with concepts and technical elements to guide them in the development of their own circular initiatives. The topics covered in each session include aspects such as the REP Law, ensuring that circular initiatives are in line with regulatory changes, Industrial Symbiosis and Waste Management. Another highlight is the approach to circular business models and eco-design, as they are methodological tools that guide and empower participants.

The executive director of the Eurochile Business Foundation, José Aravena, mentions that “we are dedicated to organising and executing training sessions on topics of interest to the different beneficiaries in which they can identify how to integrate their knowledge and their different roles and functions in order to contribute not only to their own interests and businesses, but also to contribute to reducing the impact generated by their own waste and its management in the territory where they live and operate. Through the programme they have been acquiring knowledge necessary for their projects and initiatives, they have learned to identify what they want to develop and with whom, for which the programme has given them the opportunity to connect with other people in their area and establish links with local projects“.

“The first component of our programme focuses on strengthening technical capacities for the proper use of household waste, and in some cases small-scale industrial waste from SMEs. In the second stage, we focus on training sessions on circular economy to promote the sustainable management of organic and inorganic waste, which we have carried out in various municipalities in the province, such as Puyehue, Osorno, Puerto Octay, Río Negro, Purranque and Entre Lagos“, he concluded.

The support of the National Regional Development Fund, through the Regional Government and the Regional Council, has been fundamental to the success of this programme, which not only drives innovation in Osorno, but also contributes to the economic and social development of the region, promoting decentralisation and citizen participation throughout Chile.