Recycling Revamp: This City Steps Up Its Waste Management Game

Once home to one of the 50 largest rubbish dump sites in the world, the city of San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina has significantly improved its waste management system.

“Faced with a problem of great complexity, [Delterra’s] approach tackles it by steps that can be measured in their effectiveness and consolidated,” explains Gustavo Gennuso, the mayor of Bariloche.

Though the action plan is still in its pilot phase, the recycling rate in the areas of the city where the plan is in place has doubled. The city has also launched a collection route that is expected to collect 600 tons of recyclables per year by the end of 2024; today, only 60 tons of recyclables are collected each year in the city. The mayor further emphasized the importance of all actors working together to ensure maximum effectiveness in the years to come.