Comprehensive Management and Utilization of Source-Separated Fruit and Vegetable Waste

Abstract

This article reviews the history of solid-waste management in Medellín, from the Moravia open-air dump to the Curva de Rodas Sanitary Landfill and successive municipal projects, noting administrative discontinuity between governments as a structural problem. The central focus presents research by Orgánicos Urbanos S.A. E.S.P., in conjunction with the Universidad de Antioquia, evaluating the nutritional value of source-separated fruit and vegetable waste, aimed at characterizing this waste as a supplementation alternative for high-tropics dairy cattle, partially replacing traditional concentrated feed. The authors document that this waste shows digestibility levels comparable to concentrated feed, allowing potential use of around 150 tons daily in Medellín.