Community incubators
The Seed Capital was used to strengthen Zero Waste initiatives in the four popular neighbourhoods under study in Santiago de Cali, projecting the opportunities that exist for the generation of income from the use of solid waste. Through the articulation with the Corporación Nuestra Génesis, which operates in Comuna 18, two work fronts were addressed: the Community Recycling Programme and the enterprises that seek to give a new use to solid waste.
Community Recycling Programme
The community recycling programme began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, promoted by the Club Campestre Foundation under the barter strategy, through which 98 families from Brisas de Las Palmas, La Arboleda, Pampas del Mirador and Alto Polvorines; most of them low-income, belonging to the elderly group “Nuevo Amanecer” and vulnerable groups such as the LGBTIQ+ community; received food support as an incentive for the separation of solid waste in their homes and the delivery of recyclable materials in the communal house of Brisas de Las Palmas. In this place, which still functions as a temporary collection point, the materials are sorted by type for subsequent marketing and the resources obtained are used to meet needs that benefit the community, among which are the purchase of inputs for the preparation of lunches in the community canteen, support the development of activities of the senior citizens’ group and purchase sports equipment required by the children’s football team.
Archivo Proyecto GREAT Cali (2020-2023)
In 2022, the number of participating families was reduced to 40, in some cases due to the culmination of the bartering strategy supported by the Foundation; nevertheless, the programme continues, being energised and strengthened under the direction of leaders in the sector, and brings multiple benefits in terms of reducing waste sent to final disposal, generating economic resources and building cooperative ties between the inhabitants of the sector. Below is a diagram of the recycling process, which begins at the household level and culminates with the sale of recyclable material, after which it is collected and sorted in the communal shed.
Thanks to Architect Naiara Yumiko for the design layout (2023)
With the seed money, the community recycling programme was strengthened through three approaches:
- Improving the separation of solid waste at source: Technical assistance through visits to 12 households participating in the community recycling programme.
- Increase the number of participating households: Development of door-to-door awareness-raising activities and recreational-pedagogical activities such as bingo for the planet and an afternoon of environmental cinema with children and young people.
- Advise on the process of separation and marketing of recyclable material: Determination of the quantity and type of materials marketed and recommendations to increase their sale value.
Corporación Nuestra Génesis Cali (2023)
Specifically for materials that cannot be used in the sector, such as flexible plastic (packaging for biscuits, crisps, sweets, etc.), incentives were provided for the production of eco-bottles that facilitate the transformation of these materials into plastic wood, with which products such as chairs, playgrounds, containers, etc. are made. For the collection of the eco-bottles, as a counterpart of the process, the Corporación Nuestra Génesis managed the donation of a metallic structure, which was installed in the Brisas de Las Palmas park.
Corporación Nuestra Génesis Cali (2023)
Solid Waste Management Initiatives
In the popular neighbourhoods where the GREAT project was developed, there is a different way of thinking and acting towards what we commonly refer to as “rubbish”. For many of the residents, solid waste represents an opportunity for income generation, food security and the building of cooperative ties between the inhabitants of the sector. The characteristics or identities of the residents, such as their attachment to cultural traditions of their places of origin, their resilience and solidarity, the satisfaction of their felt needs or the search for a healthy environment, promote the development of waste recovery and valorisation initiatives.
How are they using and recovering waste?
With recyclable and textile waste they make decorative elements or articles for personal or household use; with used cooking oil they produce ecological soap and with waste from food preparation they generate soil improvers that they use to fertilise their plants and home gardens.
Various initiatives for the use and recovery of waste have become enterprises or have the potential to become so; for this reason, activities aimed at strengthening them were carried out within the framework of the Seed Capital:
- “Sharing of knowledge”: A space was created for the visibility of enterprises in which residents of working-class neighbourhoods could share their experience and market the products they make from the use of solid waste.
- Workshop on handicrafts with recycled plastic: A workshop was held with the participation of 21 women from the Renacer collective, with whom they worked on making earrings and key rings using recycled plastic bottles. The participants expressed their interest in making and marketing these products in different spaces or events, such as the sharing of knowledge promoted by the seed capital.
Corporación Nuestra Génesis Cali (2023)
Initiatives and entrepreneurships related to the use and valorisation of solid waste arise from local knowledge and have the possibility to grow and consolidate, for which the articulation between different actors is relevant to support aspects such as the elaboration of a business plan, pricing and brand creation and positioning.