Our Environment and Safety manager explained the process of receiving hazardous waste, its treatment and recovery.

At Hidronor we recycle more than 10 thousand tons of industrial hazardous waste annually in our three industrial plants located in the regions of Antofagasta, Biobío and Metropolitana. 

Gonzalo Velásquez, Environment and Safety manager of our company, accompanied the Mundo Sostenible program team on a tour of our waste treatment center, located in the commune of Pudahuel.

The expert explained that “our process consists of receiving the waste generated by the different companies in the country to treat it, valorize it and/or finally dispose of it if necessary. Thanks to this management we can convert some waste with calorific value into liquid and solid alternative fuel.”

Circular economy

Si bien nuestro foco es la disposición del residuo en un depósito de seguridad, también entregamos soluciones de valorización en línea con la economía circular. Sobre ello, Velásquez sostuvo que “contamos con un sistema de lavado de envases, es decir, recibimos un residuo peligroso en un envase al que desclasificamos su peligrosidad para, finalmente, destinarlo a valorización”.

Environmental commitment

Our executive also explained that we always subject all our processes to environmental evaluation, “and as a result of that evaluation, different commitments, compensations and even voluntary commitments that we acquire arise. An example of assumed compensation is the paving of streets or scrapping of trucks (taking trucks out of circulation so that they stop emitting atmospheric emissions to compensate for what we generate during the construction and operation stage of our facilities).”

An example of a voluntary environmental commitment that we have assumed is the one acquired with the community surrounding our plant located in the commune of Florida, Biobío region, a community that did not have access to drinking water. “As a company we are voluntarily committed to supplying them with drinking water during the entire period of validity of the resolution that approved our operation in that area,” explained Velásquez.

Let's work together on a more sustainable operation through the revaluation of waste!

Learn more about our participation in the program at https://youtu.be/kII71K_qnpo