The city of Luján recently incorporated a new Mobile Ecopoint that will be managed by the urban cooperative Usina Eco.
With this innovation, the aim is to move towards a more sustainable waste management model and solve the logistical challenge of transporting recyclable materials.
Additionally, given the possibility of moving the Ecopoint, it will be especially useful for promoting the circular economy at large city events.
The investment for this initiative is also proof of the coordination between the public and private sectors.
This is because the initiative was made possible by both the Municipality of Luján and the companies CCU, Unilever, and Coca-Cola.
The problem solved by the Mobile Ecopoint in Luján
Currently, logistics represent the main operational obstacle for the urban recyclers of Luján.
The transportation of bottles, cans, cardboard, and paper consumes more than 60% of Usina Eco’s investment.
This high cost limits the cooperative’s ability to collect recyclable materials from different points in the city.
Martín Brizuela, a founding member of Usina Eco, acknowledged that the waste challenge in Luján has “an unmanageable magnitude for a single actor.”
“We know that without a responsible consumer, a conscious inhabitant, there is no successful initiative,” Brizuela noted.
He added: “We work every day to raise awareness and offer an alternative for recyclable materials,” Brizuela affirmed.
The cooperative has been collaborating for 10 years with CCU on various circular economy initiatives. Brizuela valued teamwork with CCU and the municipality as key to solving the logistical challenge.
Thus, the Mobile Ecopoint arrives as a response to this historical challenge.
How the new Mobile Ecopoint will work in Luján
The new Mobile Ecopoint in Luján will allow for the collection of recyclable materials at all major city events with high waste generation.
It will also travel to different neighborhoods to promote educational instances and source segregation.
In this way, the mobile unit will address critical points of waste generation.
Additionally, it aims to create opportunities to raise awareness about material separation and facilitate the work of consumers when recycling.
A strategic public-private alliance
The investment in the Mobile Ecopoint was made by CCU, Unilever, and Coca-Cola, in coordination with the Municipality of Luján.
The equipment will be co-managed between the cooperative Usina Eco and the municipality.
“For CCU, collaborative work is the most efficient way to generate a positive and sustainable impact,”
“We managed to bring an innovative tool that helps with Usina Eco’s logistical challenge,” explained Juan Pablo Barrale, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Manager at CCU.
Circular economy and local development
The initiative is part of CCU’s Sustainability Strategy and the ReCCUpero program.
Its objective is to reinsert materials into the production circuit and strengthen the management of urban recyclers.
In this regard, Mayor Leonardo Boto highlighted that the Ecopoint represents “an alliance that unites resources, knowledge, and commitment to transform waste management in Luján.”
Boto defined the action as a model of environmental governance that combines innovation and sustainability.
Ecopoints in Luján: where they are located
The Ecopoints in the city of Luján are located in the following areas:
- Plazoleta Antigua Estación Basílica: Colón and P. Varela Street
- Historical/Basilical Zone: Nuestra Señora de Luján Avenue and Almirante Brown
- Municipal Sports Field
- Jáuregui: 25 de Mayo and Centenario
- Carlos Keen: railway site.
