PICACOMPOST

The PICACOMPOST project, subsidized by the Barcelona Provincial Council, consists of a ten-month program to provide technical assistance to public agents and the population of the municipality of Pica in the Tarapacá region of Chile to implement more sustainable waste management organic.

During the project, the Organic Fraction Management Plan (FORM) will be defined and implemented and the necessary training will be given to introduce them and make them participate in the recovery of organic matter without the need for large infrastructures. Likewise, the guidelines for the Management of the Organic Fraction in the Region of Tarapacá (300,000 inhabitants) will be drawn up, which corresponds to an extension similar to that of Catalonia.

On October 8, the presentation of the operational launch of the PICACOMPOST project was made before the plenary session of the Illustrious Municipality of Pica.

The presentation was made by Amphos 21, which is part of the partnership responsible for the execution of the project as a technical expert in domestic composting.

Initial presentation of the project

To inform citizens, leaflets were prepared in which they were encouraged to participate in the home composting pilot test.

The objective is to find a solution to manage the organic waste from the towns furthest from the 5 landfills planned in the region and extend its useful life. Composting them will make it possible to obtain a by-product for agriculture and make their management economically viable, including that of the most isolated populations.

To achieve the objective, several activities have been defined:

• Education and training of the population and local technicians, including exchange of experiences with local and regional entities of Barcelona.
• Investigation of the history of management of the FORM and study of the potential of its selective collection and recovery in Pica and throughout the region.
• Pilot test to familiarize and sensitize the population in the selective collection and recovery of the FORM and analyze the feasibility of implementation in Pica and in the region.
• Preparation of the Management Plan for the FORM in Pica and the guidelines for the management of the FORM in the Tarapacá region.

During the week of April 20-25, 3 presentations were held in Chile to share the results of the PICAMCOMPOST project at different levels: national, regional and local.

The representatives of Fundación Empresa y Clima (Elvira Carles) and Amphos 21 Consulting (Juan Castaño) presented the results, conclusions and recommendations obtained during the project to the Chilean institutions that showed interest in this project.

The results of the project demonstrate the viability of composting in the area and allow both local and regional authorities to reconsider the need to expand landfills, with high demands for economic resources, since the implementation of composting to manage such an important volume of fraction organic allows to extend the useful life of the same at a low cost and, in this way, allocate the available resources to improve the collection of waste giving coverage to the entire population.

The separation of organic waste also allows obtaining a resource (compost) from a waste and the reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions (methane) generated by the decomposition of organic matter in landfills, as well as reducing urban solid waste collection costs.

Monday, April 20, presentation in Iquique (capital of the Tarapacá Region) before representatives of the Regional Government of Tarapacá, SEREMI of Environment of Tarapacá, SEREMI of Health of Tarapacá and CORE of Tarapacá.

Tuesday, April 21, presentation in Pica (Tarapacá Region) before numerous attendees, including the Mayor of Pica (Don Miguel Núñez Herrera), the Municipal Administrator (Ms. Ximena González), representatives of the Regional Government, SEREMI of the Environment of Tarapacá, farmers and citizens in general.

Wednesday, April 22, presentation in Santiago de Chile before the General Director of Waste of the Ministry of the Environment (Mrs. Maritza Rojas) and the Cabinet Advisor to the Minister of the Environment (Ms. Jessica Ulloa), among others.