Nuevo Ciclo

Medellín and the its metropolitan area have around 4 million inhabitants, making it the second largest city in Colombia. Most of the country’s recycling industries for plastics are actually located in this region. However, flexible plastics are an issue, with less than 2% estimated to be collected and properly recycled. These flexible plastics often ends up in landfills or are incinerated in rural areas.

The project fixes the value chain by working with communities to collect low-value plastic. People from schools and other institutions are trained to run local plastic collection centres. Funding from rePurpose Global then supports the cost of collecting, transporting, sorting and recycling soft, low-value plastics. The project recycles the plastics into plastic wood which is made into furniture and amenities that are donated for use in schools, as well as to build houses for vulnerable populations in the local area.