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In the last 10 years, the number of vehicles circulating in Bolivia has grown exponentially up to1.8 million. This figure is expected to increase to 2.6 million in 2030. 80% of these vehicles are driven in the larger cities of La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. They generate a large amount of waste during their life cycle, such as tires, lead batteries and scrap metal, which are difficult to manage due to their complex and often toxic components. Currently, only a small part is reused or processed properly, which causes environmental and health problems.
This is where the project comes in. Vehicle owners, companies and institutions are made aware of how to manage waste from the transport sector. Many raw materials can be reused if they are recycled. The project encourages green businesses to improve their business models for waste recycling. Thanks to improved access to markets, research and innovation and specific advisory services, they increase their competitiveness and, thus, create more income and new jobs.
The Markets for Recycling project began in 2019, with the aim of strengthening green business ecosystems in Bolivia, in the municipalities of La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, using a circular economy approach.
The project applies Swisscontact's market systems development approach and is based on work in waste value chains from the transport sector, such as batteries, tires, as well as ferrous and non-ferrous scrap.
The project aims to strengthen the ecosystem of green businesses that offer goods or services in the areas of recycling, water, energy, urban mobility. It also supports green businesses in other environmental sectors that generate positive impact and incorporate good social and economic practices using a circular economy approach, contributing to the conservation of the environment.
Markets for Recycling works in coordination with allied institutions that provide awareness, business development and regulatory framework services. In a stimulating business environment, green businesses can have access to training programs, advertising, technology, financing, research and innovation services, increasing their income and generating jobs, reducing the environmental impact and contributing to the mitigation of climate change.
The project promotes the correct separation of waste from the transport sector such as batteries, tires and scrap metal with a suitable eco-friendly final destination or allocates them as raw material to green companies or businesses that will later transform the waste, obtaining added value by reducing CO2 emissions.
This project is financed by the Republique et Canton de Genève, the Esperanza Foundation, and the Foundation for the Third Millennium, among other donors. It is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.