In Bolivia, the lack of proper waste management is an environmental, social and economic issue with direct negative effects on the health of the population.

Since September 2019, COOPI has been supporting the implementation of circular economy through the project "LaPazRecicla. Integrated approach to waste management in the municipality of La Paz, Bolivia. New technologies to promote the circular economy", funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and in consortium with the Municipality of La Paz, the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Mayor de San Adrés of La Paz and the Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences of the Insubria University of Varese.

Through this three-year project, COOPI is introducing innovative systems for waste valorisation, involving the entire city community of La Paz, strengthening the technical skills of the operators involved in the collection and selection of waste, supporting scientific research.

The project directly involves many people in the community: citizens thanks to specific information campaigns, school children with awareness-raising activities on separate waste collection, university students through courses, seminars, training and environmental volunteering activities, professors and researchers with technical training courses and research activities and workers and technicians of the municipality by providing them in-depth courses on the management of new methodologies for waste collection and treatment.