Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad del Valle (Univalle) and the Ciclos Foundation (formed by profesional recyclers) are looking for a business model based on the development of products made from recyclable materials, in order to generate higher profits and a better quality of life for those recyclers.
In Colombia, there are more than 42,000 professional recyclers working in the collection, transportation, and classification of solid waste, facing long working hours in harsh weather conditions (such as rain and sun) and significant economic insecurity in their work.
Professor Pablo César Manyoma Velásquez of the School of Industrial Engineering explained that the idea behind the pilot project was to look for ways to make value-added products in which recyclers could generate income in addition to the unprocessed waste they sell to intermediaries.
"The community of Valle del Cauca is fundamental to us...we did not invent the problems, the problems are here and so are the solutions," Professor Manyoma said.
The socioeconomic role of trade recyclers are key because in 2018, Colombia generated approximately 21.38 million tons of solid waste (equal to the mass of 30 supertanker ships) but only 11.1% of the total was used for recycling and new utilization, according to figures from DANE, the Colombian government statistics agency.
The Innovation and Valuation of Community Recycling Project included four workshops, including prototype development and a supply chain analysis, and had the added benefit of inspiring and training the next generation of engineers as they worked hand-in-hand with the recycling professionals.
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| Photo: Walter Vega, Director and Legal Representative of Fundación Ciclos. Credit: Natalia Urrea/NCC-FI/Univalle |
Recyclers as research partners
Professor Manyoma has worked as a teacher at Univalle for 20 years, but said that 10 years ago he felt that after a decent amount of time helping industry improve its services or products, he wanted to focus more on research that would benefit the communities that Univalle serves.
"There came a personal moment in my life when I decided I wanted to dedicate myself to other things," Professor Manyoma said, adding that around 2010, he began a doctoral thesis on the topic of landfills in Colombia.
Members of foundation participated in four workshops to strengthen their creative capacity and develop skills to become creators and innovators of technologies that contribute to improving their own lives. For example, in one workshop they made new glass cups from waste.
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| Photo: Professor Pablo Manyoma at the presentation of the project "Innovation and Valuation of Community Recycling" Credit: EI Industrial/Univalle |
Vega explained that the most important thing for the recyclers was to realize that they could add value to the materials they collect and that in an "economical" artisanal way they could transform them into new articles for daily consumption, obtaining an additional income for their livelihood.
"It was also very important for them to feel welcomed by the university, since many of them have not finished their elementary school studies and being inside the university in classrooms was very exciting for them," Vega said.
Vega explained that also, all the information that was developed in the project by the university was already delivered to Fundación Ciclos.
"That is very important for our foundation because it allows us to have all that information systematized or in an audiovisual format for the formulation of future projects," Vega said.
Professor Manyoma said that based on the success of the pilot project, the Faculty of Engineering can apply for other calls for proposals that will give them the possibility to continue developing the project and expand it, even sharing the proposal with other recyclers' associations in Colombia and Latin America.
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Una nueva generación de investigadores
Professor Manyoma said that the project also makes it possible to train and inspire the next generation of engineers at Univalle.
"The idea here is that this initiative becomes a seedbed, which generates a different dynamic within the Faculty," said Professor Mayoma.
"For me this project was very gratifying on two levels: the first from the experiences, comments, reflections and current and future activities of the people who make up the Ciclos Foundation, in which repeatedly the participants are very grateful for what they learned, they incorporate it in their next joint and individual goals, and they projected and understand the space that they have in society," Salcedo said.
Salcedo said that from a personal point of view she considers that the project was tailored to the particularities of these people, and that the disposition and relationship of spaces, laboratories, teachers, administrative staff, guidelines and students with the participants was always egalitarian, dignifying the fundamental role that these recyclers have in society and making available what this group of people and spaces represent as a public service to society as a whole.
If you would like to contact the researchers or learn more about the projects, write to the Communications Office of the Faculty of Engineering: comunicaingenieria(at)correounivalle.edu.co.
Cover photo: Faculty, students and recyclers of the project. Credit: Natalia Urrea/NCC-FI/Univalle
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