#IRecycle | Glass is also used to recover soils and improve plants

Many countries, including Peru, are facing a serious crisis due to the shortage of fertilizers, which will have a direct impact on global food security. This situation, added to the high prices, will force agricultural producers to use less fertilizers and this will result in a decrease in their food supply.

According to a recent report by EC Data, in Peru the hectares planted with the main transitory crops [con ciclos vegetativos menores a un año] they were reduced by 20,750, in the last campaign of August-March. The regions with the greatest drop are Apurímac, Cajamarca, Huancavelica, Lambayeque and Piura.

Faced with this situation, regenerative agriculture is emerging as the most viable alternative not only because it allows the improvement of the plant and the care of the soil, but also because in a particular case it means put it to use unthinkable to glass bottles.

With a new approach

And what is regenerative agriculture about? They are a series of practices that can regenerate and rehabilitate the state of the soil, as well as keep it productive for a longer time, in a sustainable way, ensuring its fertility for the future.

“To combat food insecurity it is essential to promote regenerative agriculture practices with a strong focus on caring for soils and their key role as carbon sinks”, tells El Comercio Carolina Duque Chopitea, director of Technology and Product at Reciqlo.

“We make silicon substrate, which is a product from glass recycling. We transform something that in the eyes of many was just waste, such as glass containers, and we turn it into a substrate that can be reabsorbed by nature, thus promoting circular economy models”, adds Duke.

This company extracts silicon from recycled glass and turns it into silkong, a plant breeder and reclaimer of degraded soil. “Our substrate promotes sustainable farming practices, taking care of the soil and using products that are not harmful to the environment”says the spokeswoman.

multiple benefits

The silkong works as ‘mulch’ or padding, a layer that allows the reduction of water consumption and helps plants to more efficiently dose their hydration.

Similarly, this silicon substrate not only helps fight climate change through recycling and resource optimization, but also contributes to food security by strengthening soils and optimizing the use of fertilizers by regulating the assimilation of these.

“Our objective in Peru is to introduce this soil improver as a solution to solve the problems of water, fertilizer, soil and pollution. In this way we create a solution for the most crucial problems facing our generation: the responsible management of waste and soil”, emphasizes Carolina Duque.