The solution proposed for Antofagasta is the piloting of a decentralized, affordable waste-to-resource facility and associated community outreach to support waste separation at source.
An Integrated Resource Recovery Center (IRRC) consists of a facility that processes urban solid waste into resources – such as compost, biogas and recyclable materials – in a cost-effective and decentralized manner, in proximity to the source of waste generation.
The project proposed consists of an IRRC in the city of Antofagasta that will have the capacity to process up to 1.5 ton of organic waste per day, which would otherwise be left to decompose in open dumps or landfill sites. Organic waste will be collected from markets and households, and processed into compost in the IRRC, which will apply the box composting method. Any recyclable materials obtained can be temporarily stored in the IRRC, and subsequently sold once market prices for recyclables are favorable.