Recycling Organic Waste in Chile

This is an introduction for people that want to start recycling their organic waste in Chile. In this post you will find which products can and cannot be included in your orgnaic waste bins, as well as 2 possibilities on how to recycle your organic waste in this country.

Depending on the city you live in, you might or not have a public organic waste management system provided by your city council. In case you don't, you can try to look for some private company to do the job or learn to recycle organic waste by yourself. A good alternative to do the latter is vermicomposting.

Vermicomposting is a process done by using bins with worms to produce compost from vegetative matter. The product is used as fertilizer for the soil. There are plenty of guides to vermicomposting out there in the internet, which may even include making the vermicompost bins by yourself. However, you could also look for some company in your city where to buy a vermicompost bin and receive some guidance from them on how to do the process properly.

The instructions to recycle are the following:

1. Assign a special bin for your organic waste.

2. Choose either alternative A or B to continue.

• Alternative A: Contact your council to check if they have an organic waste recycling system. If they do, deliver it to them the day they collect it.

• Alternative B: Use your own vermicompost to decompose your waste.

Below you'll find some of the things you can and cannot recycle as indicated by the Ministry of Environment on their website.

What to include:

Peels and rests of fruits and vegetables.

Very ripe fruits and vegetables

Egg shells

Grass, soil, pruning and garden waste.

Tea bags, rests of coffee, tea and mate tea.

Warning! Do not include any of the following products:

- Rests of animals (meat, bones).

- Cigarette butts.

- Medication.

- Cooked food.

- Chemical products.

To finish, I encourage you to comment and share your knowledge with the community. And if you liked this post don't forget to leave it a like!

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This post is part of my "How to Recycle in Chile" series.