Next Stop Copenhagen in Bogotá’s Waste Management Revolution

In September 2024, we reported on the bold steps the Municipality of Bogotá is taking in its waste management. Now, it is time to explore how Copenhagen City, a global leader in waste management, is inspiring Bogotá and other cities.

By Vibeke Quaade

Copenhagen has established itself as a global leader in waste management. Over the past 30 years, the city has phased out traditional landfills, prioritising recycling and energy recovery as central elements of its strategy. Key to Copenhagen’s success are innovative technologies, meticulous waste sorting and a circular economy model that maximises resource reuse. The people of Copenhagen have embraced this strategy, playing their role in its success by diligently sorting waste at home and utilising the city’s numerous street litter bins.

Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is embarking on a similar journey, collaborating with Copenhagen to transition from a linear waste model to a circular one. This initiative focuses on two key objectives: integrating informal recyclers into the formal waste management system and improving waste management practices by enhancing the recycling and reuse of both organic and non-organic waste.

“We’re aiming for an 80% reduction in waste in the long term, but we’re starting with a 20% reduction over the next three years to gain experience and better understand the necessary steps and direction to take,” said Consuelo Ordóñez, CEO of UAESP, Bogotá’s waste management authority, in September 2024.

Watch video and read the article The first steps in a waste management revolution in Bogotá 

Copenhagen is supporting Bogotá in this journey through the two cities’ sector cooperation and sharing of technical expertise.

The Danish Embassy in Bogotá and Danida Fellowship Centre also play key roles in this collaboration by offering selected public servants from the city of Bogotá and national Colombian waste authorities relevant learning programmes such as the course on Solid Waste Management and New Technologies in October 2024.

One of the participants was Sandra Marcela Ramírez Ubate, an environmental engineer who works in the Superintendencia de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios that oversees the enforcement of laws related to essential services like water supply, energy, sanitation and waste management in Colombia.

“I participated in the Solid Waste Management and New Technologies learning programme to bring back ideas on monitoring and data collection, and on how to encourage people to rethink waste as a valuable resource and not just something to discard,” says Sandra Marcela Ramírez Ubate.

Read more about Sandra Marcela Ramírez Ubate’s observations and key takeaways in her photo diary Rethinking waste, one reflection at a time.

Danida Fellowship Centre’s learning programmes are always developed in collaboration with learning institutions such as universities and specialised consultancies that combine science-based training  education and training with practical exposure and case-based learning. The Solid Waste Management and New Technologies programme was designed in collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) with Associate Professor Anders Damgaard in the lead.

“This course provides insights into urban waste management technologies, regulation, financing and stakeholder involvement in the Danish waste management model. It covers current practices but also the historical development that positioned Denmark as a global leader in waste management,” Anders Damgaard explained.

A key principle of Danida Fellowship Centre’s learning programmes is learning by seeing. During the three-week waste management programme, Sandra and the other participants visited some of Denmark’s most important and innovative waste technology sites. These included the Solrød Biogas Plant, which converts organic waste into biogas for renewable energy, and Vestforbrænding, a waste treatment company specialising in waste-to-energy processes. These visits offered hands-on experience and engagement with Danish waste sector stakeholders. See the full list of onsite visits here.

“It’s a valuable opportunity to see and speak with professionals in Copenhagen’s waste management sector,” said Sandra Marcela Ramírez Ubate. Her two main takeaways are the critical role played by data and advanced technology in driving a waste management revolution and the perception of waste as a resource, even by the average Dane.

Nanna Rosenfeldt, project manager for Strategic Sector Cooperation between Copenhagen and Bogotá, echoed these sentiments. She took Sandra Marcela Ramírez Ubate on a bike tour to observe Copenhagen’s public waste collection system. Speaking about the initiative, Rosenfeldt said,

“In Copenhagen, you can sort your waste not only at home but also in public spaces. The goal is not just to facilitate waste sorting but to provide an educational experience—encouraging people to realise that waste doesn’t just disappear and that everyone has a role to play in managing it responsibly.”

Danida Fellowship Centre’s learning programmes are designed to inspire change for sustainable development.

“In these programmes, participants develop action plans where they incorporate learning perspectives and ideas from the learning programme to address challenges in their home organisations or countries,” said Lea Bohr, capacity development advisor, Danida Fellowship Centre.

“This can hopefully ensure that their participation becomes a stepping stone in their lifelong learning journey and drives tangible change back home.”

 

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