In order to keep the academy and overall the industry updated on the latest solutions and technological innovations in the management of hazardous waste, in addition to the main risks regarding its management and the regulatory role involving regulations, a Webinar was held to discuss these issues on September 8th.

The event, which was attended by more than 100 people was organized by CodexVerde, with students from Risk Engineering Prevention and Management, and UDLA Industrial Civil Engineering among them, as well as students from associated careers of other universities. In addition to this, there were representatives from important companies in the sector with RM’s Seremi de Salud, Rosario Ossandón’s exhibition; the APL National Senior Coordinator for the Sustainability and Climate Change Agency, Sebastián Carvallo; director of the School of Biotechnology and MA of the School of Engineering and Business of the UDLA, Carmen Gloria González; and the Regional Development Manager of Hidronor Chile, Juan Andrés Salamanca.

To set the audience in context, the difference between various types of waste was explained to them, including the hazardous and non-hazardous. The latter are generally considered "hazardous industrial", however it became evident that not only companies are capable of producing them, but it is also possible to generate them in our homes. For this reason, the call for the meeting was, mostly, to generate public awareness, the correct disposal of waste to support environmental sanitation and compliance with the Extended Producer Responsibility Law (EPR Law) in its entirety.

Regarding this regulation, Juan Andrés Salamanca explained the details on how to manage and value hazardous waste responsibly, highlighting the services that Hidronor offers in this area, specifically for the treatment of priority products, such as used lubricants, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, car batteries, and containers and packaging that contain hazardous waste. In addition, he presented the current figures for the generation of this type of waste in the country and how the company can support the different companies that will, very soon, have to start taking charge of the waste they generate according to legal regulations.

“Today we contribute to the country with the remediation and recovery of waste of more than 8 thousand tons per year, a figure that we achieve thanks to our extensive national coverage with plants in the north, center and south of the country. We are aligned with the different decrees (DS 148, DS 189 and EPR Law) to offer solutions to industries and prepared to meet the challenges to come, at a national level ”, Salamanca pointed-out.

After the presentation of the rest of the moderators with key information for the area, the meeting dedicated several minutes to clearing the doubts of the audience in order to clarify the shared information as much as possible. The invitation was therefore open to continue promoting meetings of this type to promote EPR compliance.

At Hidronor we are committed to the correct implementation of sustainability policies in our country. Therefore, we support and promote the inclusion of the academy with industry, seeking to massify the people’s education in this area.

You may check Hidronor’s presentation here.