Volta Chile opens REP Law environmental plant in Quilicura

The plant will enable the country to meet over 30% of REP Law initial packaging targets. The total investment will be CLP$5 billion.

With an initial investment of CLP$2.5 billion, Volta Chile (a Southern Cross Group sustainable waste management company) opened the business group’s largest, most modern recyclables sorting plant. It will separate more than 30% of Chile’s first-year packaging waste recovery target, facilitating reuse and promoting the circular economy.

Diego Bulnes, Volta Chile’s Chief Executive Officer, said that the location of the new sorting plant on the Américo Vespucio beltway between Lo Echevers and Lo Boza in Quilicura offers excellent connectivity. It is close and quickly accessible from all of central, northern and eastern Santiago, reducing the collection system’s carbon footprint.

“The modern facility already has all the permits from the environmental and health authorities. It is fully operational in time for the REP Law’s Packaging and Packaging Regulations (E&P) to go into effect, requiring manufacturers to recover an increasing percentage of the containers and packaging used for the products they sell,” he said.

Mr. Bulnes explained that the new Metropolitan Circular Economy Platform (PEC for the Spanish acronym) exclusively separates and sorts packaging waste. Its operating space of 900 m2 features specialized technological equipment that can separate 35,000 tons of packaging waste annually. “This allows for a successful start to the REP Law’s recovery targets. We are already planning the second phase, which will double capacity to 70,000 tons per year and involve a total investment of US$5 billion”, said the executive.

He added, “As a key player in the circular economy, Volta will separate waste into two categories: household packaging (cardboard for liquids, metal, paper and cardboard, plastic and glass) and non-household (metal, paper and cardboard, and plastic), per regulations. Separating this way enables subsequent waste recovery, and the companies we serve will know what amount of their waste was recovered in each category in compliance with the provisions and targets set by the authorities.”

Source: Diario Financiero.