The circular economy is a production model based on reusing, repairing and renewing materials as many times as possible. This not only reduces the input of virgin materials, but also enables the recycling of many products, adding additional value to them. Unlike the linear economy, this model contributes to waste treatment that is beneficial for both people and the planet.
The City has a dry waste management system based on the incorporation of the Cooperatives of Urban Waste Collectors and Recyclers for Urban Hygiene (Cooperativas de Recuperadores al Servicio de Higiene Urbana). Together, we work to recover and give value to a large amount of recyclable materials. This initiative not only promotes the reinsertion of materials and products into the market, but also generates jobs for all those who carry out the project.
All the collected materials go to the City's Green Centers (Centros verdes), where the Cooperatives of Urban Waste Collectors and Recyclers classify and process them and then return them to the industry. The Green Centers are community work spaces equipped with the safety, hygiene and sanitation elements present in conventional industry (such as factories and sheds), which provide urban collectors and recyclers with a place to carry out their work, improving their working conditions and favoring their social integration.
The City Recycling Center has five treatment plants, one of them is called M.R.F. (Material Recovery Facility) and is an automatic plant for separating recyclable waste. It has a processing capacity of 10 tons per hour. All the materials from the City’s green bell-shaped recycling bins arrive at this plant and, through different automatic mechanisms, these materials are separated into different fractions: paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, glass, etc. These materials are compacted into bales and reintroduced into the recycling industry to manufacture new products.
Did you know that the City has 12 cooperatives of urban waste collectors with 6,500 employees in 16 green centers in the City?
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Learn more about the new 2050 Climate Action Plan.