The VíasChile Group is supporting a sustainable initiative after the impact caused by the 880 tons of waste let loose by the bad weather that caused the Mapocho River to overflow.

The flooding occurred during the weather emergency in the central-south zone and affected different localities in the country. This began the debate about where the thousands of kilos of garbage and waste collected along the banks of the Mapocho River would end up.

After this the disaster, we analyzed giving the organic waste collected a second life. It will be recycled and converted into compost to be used in green areas.

María Pía Tejos, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Manager of VíasChile, said that “the commitment is always to safeguard safety for users travelling on our roads, but also sustainability. For that reason, given the imminent collapse of the bridge over the Mapocho River in the municipality of Pudahuel, we immediately began arduous cleaning.  It took more than 60 hours and a team of 50 people and specialists, who worked continuously to restore use of the road and the bridge infrastructure.”

The company responsible for separating wood, branches and logs has been dedicated for more than 8 years to the recycling and treatment of debris and waste that is mostly natural or organic.

According to Bárbara Lewin, founder or Vuelta Verde, “It is a 100% natural process that involves nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and water. We are going to convert all the material recovered from the Mapocho Bridge into compost. This does not mean that it is an easy process because it requires chipping and chopping all the remains selected and waiting at least one year until the compost is ready.”

Each day VíasChile aims to promote a circular economy with a more sustainable view, and it is a pioneer in giving a second life to the reclaimed waste, a valuable effort of benefit to the communities beside our roads.