Chile produces 6.5million tons of waste per year. Only around 10% is currently recycled, while the rest ends up in landfills. Waste production is growing at a 3% yearly rate, and the current waste management system perpetuates social inequality, supported on street waste pickers who do not have opportunities to improve their quality of life. TriCiclos is a B Corporation that exists to promote sustainability and citizenship empowerment, through the change of consumption habits. It set up an innovative recycling approach of domestic waste.
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Translations
TRICICLOS (Chile): Encouraging sustainable consumption through innovative recycling.
1. Organizational Governance
Relations with stakeholders
Transmitter
Context
Objectives
- Reduce waste
- Improve the life of street waste pickers
- Build a culture of sustainable consumption
- Increase rates of recycling and reuse of materials
APPROACH
Assessment: The market incentives for waste salvaged encourage consumers to get rid of their items (increase of obsolescence trends) without reducing waste quantity.
TriCiclos’ choice: engaging communities in the habit of recycling and including socially vulnerable citizens in their operations
Approach: TriCiclos has developed a network of CleanPoints, which are small waste processing plants and open platforms for citizens and companies to learn how to manage their waste and become conscious consumers.
What is innovative about this approach is that it is an adaptable modular construction, 40 times cheaper than similar solutions offered by municipalities.
Clean Points are run by local communities, street waste pickers’ cooperatives, companies, or institutions that receive from 50 to 98 percent of the profits earned. All the people working at the Clean Points come from socially vulnerable conditions. TriCiclos either hires them as full or part-time employees or establishes partnerships with cooperatives of street waste pickers. All workers are trained by TriCiclos not only as operators of the Clean Points but also as environmental educators of their community.
CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE
- 15 CleanPoints in 2010, 30 in 2012 (+100%)
- Received National Innovation Award (AVONNI) in 2011
- Increased revenue in USD845.000 between 2011 and 2012
Benefits
- Management of waste: 100 tons a month, 500 in 2011 (+500%)
- Improved working conditions for street waste pickers and socially vulnerable people.
- First B-Corporation to be certified in South America
- Turnover
- USD 1,500,000 (2012)
- Country
- Chile
Contact
Correa, María Emilia. Co-Founder and Consultancy Manager This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.