Tocopilla Families Participate in Online Workshop on Effective Recycling

In Tocopilla’s Villa Prat neighborhood, SQM has joined forces with the Mr. Barber Foundation, the La Semilla Foundation and the municipal government to implement Villa Prat’s first Smart Recycling Center, which will feature solar autonomy, security cameras and WiFi to enable it to be monitored from any mobile device.

In this context, the need arose to offer a series of online workshops on Effective Recycling in order to instill in Tocopilla residents knowledge and good practices about recycling. In all, 100 people from the port city are participating.

Juan Pérez Choque, SQM’s Head of Community Relations, commented: “We are very happy to see how motivated Tocopilla families are to recycle and take part in the different activities organized to care for the environment. The initiative is part of our company’s Community Recycling Plan, which has involved different educational establishments in the area for some years now through the Environmental Trailblazers program.”

Meanwhile, Carolina Elgueta, Director of the Mr. Barber Foundation, remarked: “We are pleasantly surprised at how motivated Tocopilla families are to care for the environment. These workshops will bring about a cultural change that is very necessary not only for the community but also for the country and the world. We are very happy that the families are enjoying these virtual activities. They have attracted a large number of participants and have been a great success.”

With the objective of replicating María Elena’s successful recycling model, which includes a main recycling center and several mini-centers in strategic locations, the Mr. Barber Foundation is already developing alliances with some neighborhood councils to set up pilot mini-centers in different parts of the district to help generate and strengthen a cultural change towards caring for one’s surroundings and the environment.