Our Ground Work
We take an on-the-ground, system-wide approach to building a circular economy based on a city given’s needs.
To fill in the gaps in the system, our activities range from waste collection to end-market development—with our current impact focused on Plastics, Climate, and Livelihoods.
The problem: While organizations have addressed specific issues, no one has been evaluating the whole system
Despite years of action, waste challenges remain largely unresolved because the problem is systemic. Most interventions target isolated points—technologies, behaviors, or disposal—without linking them across the full chain. This leads to fragmented progress, short-lived impact, and little scalability, with key gaps in areas such as policy & governance, capacity & knowledge, and stakeholder alignment.
WHERE WE COME IN
We work on the ground in the areas we serve to evaluate the full waste stream.
We have developed and successfully implemented scalable waste management models in multiple Global South settings, such as Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Denpasar, Bali (Indonesia). With a team of 90+ professionals devoted to building upstream and downstream circular economies for waste, including 35+ based in Latin America and 40+ based in Indonesia (most of whom are nationals of those countries), Delterra delivers a holistic approach across the full waste stream.
On the supply side, we work with key city stakeholders
We then take our learnings, evaluating what is universally true and what must be adapted based on context to scale our model to other regions in the Global South.
On the demand side, we work with companies
To address the full waste stream, we also work with companies to ensure there is demand for the materials we divert from landfills– whether that’s working with CPG companies to discover new uses for previously non-recycled plastics, to working with farms on ways to productively put organic material into productive use.
Our Impact
Plastics
We address the vicious cycle of both unreliable demand and poor supply that prevent material from flowing smoothly through the system.
Climate
As we work across the full waste stream, we divert food and garden waste–a major source of methane emissions–from landfills.
Livelihoods
As part of our mission to advance the circular economy in the Global South, our work is also focused on improving livelihoods through inclusive waste management solutions.
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Delterra is a 501(c)(3) public charity.