Analysis of Alternative Scenarios for Reaching Governmental Waste
Recycling Target in Santiago de Chile
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Ailyn Rojas C.

Abstract

The economic growth that Chile has sustained in recent decades has come accompaniedby the generation of huge amount of wastes. The country has historically put emphasis on theappropriate final disposal of the waste through sanitary landfill.
However the environmental problems generated by this activity has put in evidence, thatconcentrating efforts on solving the final disposal in a sanitary and environmental friendly way
is not enough. Therefore it is necessary to improve the national solid waste management
approach.
In Santiago, the Capital of Chile, which generates about 43% of the national solid waste,a study conducted by the Ministry of Environment in 2011 found that 14% of the waste generated
is recycled and it’s done mostly thanks to local campaigns and informal collectors.
Santiago region launched a recycling project called “Santiago recicla” (Santiago
recycles) that set the target to recycle 25 % of inorganic materials by 2020. In order to meetthe government goal this study propose the evaluation of different alternatives for municipal
solid waste collection, treatment and recovery for inorganics. The scenarios will be analyzed
using the Life Cycle Assessment technique.

Keywords: Sanitary landfill, Recycling, Inorganic materials, Life Cycle Assessment

Analysis of Alternative Scenarios for Reaching Governmental Waste
Recycling Target in Santiago de Chile
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Ailyn Rojas C.

Introduction
Chile has enjoyed a rapid and sustained economic growth in recent decades. However
this economic growth has been accompanied by severe environmental degradation. One of themost serious environmental issues now is how to deal with the huge amount of wastes that aregenerated daily. In the case of Santiago, The Capital of Chile, which generates about 43% of thenational solid waste, nearly 40% of it ends up in landfill or dump sites (CONAMA, 2011). Even if
historically in Chile, the solid waste management has put emphasis on proper final disposal, theenvironmental problems generated by the hoarding of solid waste on the landfills, such as GHGemissions, water pollution, land erosion and others, has put in evidence, that putting efforts onsolving the final disposal in a sanitary and environmental friendly way is not enough. Therefore
it is necessary to improve the national solid waste management approach. Which also is a way
to contribute to our progress toward a green growth and sustainable development, which is oneof the topics of the OECD from which Chile is a member since 2010.
In Chile, local governments are responsible for the management of solid waste in theirareas, defined as the collection, transportation, and disposal systems of the municipal solid
waste management (SESMA). For that purpose, municipalities pay an average of USD120.000 permonth (Ministry of Environment, 2013).
In the paper, “Towards the Estimation of Demand for Recycling in Chile: The Case ofSantiago”, published in 2013, it is mentioned that 50% of the Chilean population has a positive
attitude towards the separation of municipal solid waste, and 90% of the inhabitants identified
recycling as the solution to the municipal solid waste management system (Oscar C. Vasquez,2013).
In the denominated Gran Santiago area, there are 32 municipalities with their own waste
management system. The study done by CONAMA in 2011 says that 14% of the waste generated
is recycled and it’s done mostly thanks to local campaigns and informal collectors. (Ministry ofEnvironment, 2013). See annex 1 for details.
Nowadays, and as part of the National Policies of Solid Waste Management strategic plans,
there is one big recycling project in development called “Santiago recicla” (Santiago recycles).

This project has set the target to recycle 25% of inorganic wastes by 2020. This is the goal werethe efforts of the government are focusing now, especially in the distribution of drop off stations.
However, this big project doesn’t consider organics wastes, which take over 48% of the totalgenerated waste.
This study propose the evaluation of different alternatives for municipal solid waste
collection, treatment and recovery for inorganic and organic materials. In order to meet thegovernment goal this study propose the evaluation of different alternatives for municipal solid
waste collection, treatment and recovery for inorganics. The scenarios will be analyzed using
the Life Cycle Assessment technique.

Methodology
The scenarios were evaluated by using Life Cycle Assessment techniques. (This study
used the IWM-2 Software).

Design of the scenarios
This study proposed 4 scenarios.

Scenario 1 (S1): This scenario is based on the actual situation of waste management inSantiago, and is considered as the base line. The recovery of the generated waste is
14.5% as detailed in Table 1.

Waste Generated Composition
Paper and Cardboard
Plastics
MetalsGlass
Kitchen
GardenTetra packs
OthersTotal%
16%
13%
7%
6%
37%
6%
1%
15%
100%

Actual Recovery (S1)%Ton/Year
433,515
344,705
199,655154,620
996,130
162,930
15,655408,290
2,715,500

49.5%
5.7%
44.4%
12.6%
0.9%
1.8%
0.0%
9.6%

Tons/Year214,500
19,50088,60019,50010,0002,960
039,000394,060
14.5%

Table 1: Santiago waste generation composition and actual recovery raters per material. Data sourcefrom “Estudio de Factibilidad Tecnico Ambiental, Social y Economica para la Implementacion del Plan deAccion “Santiago Recicla”.

S1 considers 4 collection types. Out of the 32 communes, 2 have a mixed material bankcollection system for plastic, metals and cardboard that will be transferred to a MRF. 1
commune has a single bank collection system for vegetables that will be treated for compost orvermicompost. And there is also drop off collection points in different parts of Santiago and theinformal collection per household.
Scenario 2 (S2): This scenario consider the goal of the government for 2010 which was
20% recovery of inorganic materials. The importance of this scenario is determine if, it
was possible to reach the goal by only increasing the informal collectors participationand maintaining the formal collection and treatment status quo. The material considered
and the ratios for this scenario are shown in Table 2.

Scenario 3: This scenario considers the goal of the government for 2020, which was 20%
recovery of inorganic materials (see table 2). It is divided in two sub-scenarios dependingon whether the project includes collectors as part of the waste management collection
system or not.
o Scenario 3.1 (S3.1): Doesn’t consider the informal collection system but onlyokerbside, material banks and drop off.
Scenario 3.2 (S3.2): This scenario consider all the formal collection system from
S3.1 plus the informal collectors.

Ratios Recoveries
Paper and CardboardPlastics
MetalsGlass
Kitchen
GardenTetra packs
Others
Total

S2

S3.1

S3.2

S4

S5

60.5%
20.4%
60.0%
30.0%
1.1%
1.2%
0.5%
11.0%

64.0%
34.7%
83.5%
45.5%
1.1%
1.2%
0.5%
11.0%

70.0%
34.7%
70.0%
46.0%
1.1%
1.2%
0.5%
11.0%

60.5%
20.4%
60.0%
30.0%
16.5%
16.0%
0.5%
11.0%

70.0%
34.7%
79.0%
35.0%
28.0%
29.0%
0.5%
11.0%

553,100

688,875

688,875

Table 2: Ratios recovery for each material and scenario. Own Elaboration.

733,1851,004,735

Scenarios
S1

S2

S3.1

S3.2

TargetInorganics
Organics

13%
0.6%

20%
0.6%

25%
0.6%

25%
0.6%

Collection
InformalDrop OffKerbside
Material Banks

YES
YES
YES
YES

YES
YES
YES
YES

NO
YES
YES
YES

YES
YES
YES
YES

Table 3. Target and collection system considered in each of the scenarios. Own Elaboration.

In table 3 we can see a summary of the target for each of the scenarios and the type ofcollection system considered.
The efficiencies of treatment for each of the materials in the study are shown in table
3:
Efficiency ofMono collection
Paper and Cardboard
Plastics
MetalsGlassKitchen
GardenTetra packs
Others

95.5%
65.0%
92.5%
94.2%
80.0%
80.0%
95.0%
80.0%

MRF KDM

Compost50%
80%
90%
20%
100%
100%
80%

Table 3: Treatment efficiencies for each material. Source: “Material and energy recovery inintegrated waste management systems. An evaluation based on life cycle assessment. Milano, Italy.”paper and Lomas Colorado, KDM company presentation.

Future Work and Expected Results
After designing the 4 scenarios in this studio the analysis will be done using the IWM-2software. The scenarios will be evaluated in terms of important indicators such as avoided GHG

emission per investment and avoided PM2.5 per investment as well as feasibility ofimplementation.
Since transportation to sanitary landfills is the most expensive cost in solid waste
management it is expected that the scenario that engage informal collectors, S3.2, will havethe lowest cost, but in terms of capability, the amount and volume that they can recycle might
not be more that what they are already handling now days.
Considering the low treatment efficiency of paper and glass in MRF it is also expectedthat scenario 3.1 will require a high collection quantity to reach the recovery target for thesematerials.
As specified in the scenarios description there is only inorganic materials considered in
the government past and future target. Organic materials in Chile cover 48% approximately of
the generated waste, occupying a large volume in the trunk waste collector, and damaging
other materials, like paper, compromising their recovery because of the high humidity in its
composition. There is also the important production of GHG emission while it discompose.
Therefore, and based on the studies done by the author of this paper, it must be considered in
the government recovery target.

ReferencesCONAMA. (2011). First Report of Solid Waste Management in Chile.
Ministry of Environment. (2013). Politicas Pblicas para la Inclusion de Recicladores Base al Sistema deGestion de Reciduos Municipaes en Chile.
Oscar C. Vasquez, A. A. (2013). Towards the Estimation of Demand for Recycling in Chile: The Case ofSantiago. ELSEVIER.
SESMA. (n.d.). Informacion General Relativa a Residuos Domicilarios.
Vasquez, O. C. (2011). Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Gran Santiago of Chile: Challenges andOpportunities. Revista Internacional de Contaminacion Ambiental.

Anex1: Waste Flow in the Gran Santiago

Collection Method

Municipal Waste
2,7 million ton/year

375.100(13,8%)
456,701(24,2%)

Clean Points or Green
Point (Private)

1,428.306(75,8%)

2,715,500(100%)
Informal Collectors

Formal Municipal
Collection

Treatment

Kerbside

6,000(0,2%)
Mixed Material BankCollection

MRF Sorting

12.960(0,4%)
Organic Bank Collection

CompostSource: Own elaboration