Chilean state-owned mining company Codelco has signed an agreement with the collective management system Valora Más to strengthen the management and recovery of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) from mining operations
The agreement covers Category A tyres, defined under Chile’s extended producer responsibility (REP) framework as tyres with a rim diameter of less than 57 inches, which are primarily used on light vehicles and support vehicles operating in mining activities.
Coordinated through Codelco’s Climate Action Management division, the partnership supports the company’s circular economy strategy and its obligations under Law No. 20.920, Chile’s REP Law. Under the agreement, Codelco has assigned the relevant quotas so that ELTs collected and recovered either directly by the company or through authorised waste managers can count toward Valora Más’ environmental targets.
Under the agreement, Codelco has two options: delivering ELTs directly to Valora Más for recycling at no cost or monetising tyres that it recycles itself by transferring the recovered tonnage to Valora Más in exchange for an agreed fee per kilogram managed. For the latter option, the recycled tyres must have the required traceability and documentary evidence confirming their recovery.
The scheme is already producing results at Codelco’s El Teniente Division, where more than 1,500 tonnes of Category A tyres have been recovered and reported with supporting documentation under the new management and reporting framework.
Nathalia Silva, General Manager of Valora Más, said the agreement demonstrates how circular economy practices can be expanded in major industrial sectors, highlighting the flexibility provided by the two options, which allow companies either to send ELTs for recycling at no cost or to transfer documented recovered volumes in exchange for payment.
The partnership also highlights the potential for recycling ELTs in the mining sector in Chile, where large-scale operations generate significant volumes of used tyres and other waste streams.
At El Teniente, Circular Economy Unit head Eric San Martín said the initiative forms part of the division’s environmental objectives for 2030 and its roadmap for expanding circular economy practices, aiming to support compliance with environmental regulations while increasing the value recovered from waste generated by mining operations.
Source: Codelco
