Organic Waste of the Aburrá Valley: A Source of Nutrients for Regional Food Security

Abstract

Written by the manager of SIIMA Ltda., this article argues for transitioning from a linear urban-metabolic model to a circular system that reincorporates organic nutrients into food production. The author presents data on waste generation in the Aburrá Valley (nearly 900,000 tons annually, of which 53% is organic fraction going unused), and develops a calculation showing that recovering half of this waste could generate 120,000 tons of compost per year, with an estimated savings of $34.4 million annually in fertilizer imports. The text projects that this volume of compost could produce 100,800 tons of vegetables and fruit per year, equivalent to a quarter of the perishable food entering the Aburrá Valley, citing successful organic-waste utilization experiences in cities such as Dakar and Shanghai.