Collaborative Program, Working to Reduce Shipping Industry’s Impact on Tierra Del Fuego Ecosystem, Now Includes Cruise Ship Recyclables
Delver Agents — a premier ship agency and supplier serving South America’s Southern Cone and Antarctica — recently contributed to a joint effort to relaunch the City of Ushuaia’s Recycling Program for Circular Economy.
The collaborative program, which now includes the processing of recyclable materials from cruise ships, will work to reduce the environmental impact the shipping industry has on the city, help to ease current waste management and landfill efforts, and emphasize the need for expanded recycling measures in the Tierra del Fuego area.
The relaunch was inspired by Ushuaia’s current recycling program, originally implemented and managed by the Department of Environment & Sustainable Development of the city of Ushuaia and supported by the Ushuaia municipality.
“We’re thrilled to support and contribute to this much-needed initiative,” said German Manterola, Delver Agents General Manager. “It takes the hard work of many individuals and organizations to keep Tierra del Fuego clean, and we’re proud to be a part of this joint effort.”
“We will always look for ways to adopt more sustainable practices in a continuing effort to preserve the beauty and allure of the region,” added Veronica Baldasso Palacios, Delver Agents Managing Director.
The new initiative, in addition to providing Ushuaia with a variety of commercialized products, will generate revenue that the city will reinvest in its Garbage Management and Circular Economy Center, where the recycled products (PET plastic, cardboard/cartons, and aluminum) will be properly processed and managed. A special area of the center has been designated for processing recycled materials specifically from cruise ships that port in the area on a regular basis.
More revenue from the new program will help support the city’s infrastructure by funding the construction of roads, sidewalks, and signs, initiatives to improve existing green spaces, and other social programs.
The partners’ long-term plan is to grow the Garbage Management and Circular Economy center into an educational facility, which will host courses and lectures to inform the public on sustainable and environmentally conscious practices and habits.
When the mayor’s office and several members of the City of Ushuaia municipality instituted its new recycling initiative in 2023, Palacios and Manterola saw the opportunity to collaborate with other local operators to incorporate cruise materials into the city’s upstart recycling enterprise. Joining forces with other local supporters to expand the program became one of the company goals for 2023, as it aligned perfectly with the larger sustainability and social responsibility initiatives that Delver promotes within the company and to its clients and partners.
In addition to her role in the relaunch of the new recycling program, Palacios has also served on the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) Climate Change Committee since last year, which works with all the sustainability initiatives to reduce the environmental impact the shipping industry has on Antarctica and its ports.
Manterola is a member of IAATO’s Gateway committee, which works with the Climate Change Committee to optimize operations and address environmental concerns for the Antarctic gateways, including the port of Ushuaia. Palacios’s and Manterola’s roles in these committees highlight Delver’s continued to commitment to adopting eco-friendly operational practices.
Delver Agents is your South American shipping specialist. With our Antarctica hub based in Ushuaia, Argentina, we provide marine logistics, ship supplies, port agency, customs brokerage, import-export, and crew and passenger services throughout the Southern Cone and Antarctica. We’ll do whatever it takes to support the success of your ships.
How can Delver Agents serve your fleet? Contact us.
