Regional Climate Innovation Hub
Innovative climate actions
Turri Circular
The canton of Turrialba represents 52% of the total area of the province of Cartago. It is characterized by being a mountainous territory, and has a significant number of protected areas such as national parks, biological reserves, national monuments, and indigenous territories. It is an area rich in agro-ecological resources, with agriculture and commerce being the main economic activity.
However, Turrialba faces significant environmental challenges due to waste management and food waste. With a population of more than 73,000 inhabitants, it has a waste generation rate of 0.86 kilograms per inhabitant per day, where the percentage of organic waste amounts to 63.8% in the residential sector and 54.7% in the commercial sector.
This situation is aggravated by the absence of adequate infrastructure for the efficient management of organic waste, as well as the technical closure of the local landfill. For this reason, the Municipality of Turrialba has proposed the need to move towards a circular economy model to improve the management of organic waste, with the participation of the entire community.
Thus was born the Turri Circular Project, which consists of the design of a municipal technology platform that serves as a tool to connect and raise awareness among the different actors involved in the trade and consumption of food in Turrialba, in order to leverage food surpluses and promote a local circular economy.
Through this application, a digital marketplace could be created to facilitate the promotion of food that is about to expire, but is still suitable for consumption or could be used as raw material in production processes. This simple action acts directly in the reduction of food waste, reducing the amount of organic waste generated every day in the canton.
This tool will be aimed at different types of users, such as buyers, administrators and businesses. Initially, it is planned to work mainly with produce shops, being the sector with the highest production of organic waste and having a greater facility to participate in digital markets.
- The generation of 119 tons/month of organic waste is expected to be prevented, which would avoid the production of 6 metric tons of methane per month, mitigating local and national GHG emissions that contribute to climate change.
- By reducing food waste, a reduction in the operating costs of integrated organic solid waste management is also expected.
- Generation of data for monitoring the reduction of food waste and waste management, contributing to improve local indicators.
- The trade of surplus products allows recovering investments, reducing municipal waste, promoting the creation of new enterprises and contributing to the economic and social inclusion of different productive sectors. In environmental terms, it makes it possible to avoid wasting energy costs, water consumption and agricultural inputs, thus reducing the overall environmental costs of food production.
- From the economic point of view, it promotes the creation of partnerships for local development, providing training opportunities and access to a wider market.
- Access to a digital marketplace for citizens, entrepreneurs, NGOs and SMEs, with the possibility of purchasing food at lower prices and a wider range of products.
- Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by avoiding sending 119 metric tons of organic waste per month to the landfill. This would avoid the production of 6 metric tons of methane per month.
- Reduced costs of sending municipal waste to the landfill.
- Reduction of direct emissions by reducing the number of truck trips to the landfill.
- Reduction of leachate, odors and proliferation of vectors and pathogens in landfills.
- Extending the useful life of landfills and reducing socio-environmental conflicts triggered by the coexistence of communities with this infrastructure.
- Promotes the circular economy of organic materials, reducing the number of unused nutrients that nature can reincorporate into vital cycles.
- Promotes citizen participation and the implementation of community education and awareness actions.
- This project is aligned with the National Composting Plan and the National Decarbonization Plan.
- To implement a project of this type, it is recommended to have the support of the local government or the entity in charge of integrated solid waste management in the canton.
- It is recommended to start with a single sector, and open the digital platform to incorporate new businesses or products gradually. This is important especially in terms of the training that should be carried out on issues of awareness, waste management, marketing and use of the tool among others.
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Thematic approach:
Residuos
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Institution/implementing organization:
- Municipalidad de Turrialba
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Contact:
Catalina Molina Bustamante
Coordinator of the "Munis Disruptivas" Programme
GIZ
- Relevant information:
