Chilean salmon farmer 'recovered 99.4% of waste' last year
Ventisqueros highlights 'tangible progress toward more circular operations'
Chilean coho and Atlantic salmon farmer Ventisqueros recovered 99.4% of the waste generated by its operations last year, it announced in a press release.
The company is progressing towards fuly eliminating waste sent to landfills by this year as part of its “Zero Waste to Landfill” programme.
During the year, the company generated 30,592 metric tonnes of waste, of which 30,396 metric tonnes were recovered, reused, or otherwise diverted from disposal. As a result, only 0.6% was sent to an authorised landfill.
The evolution of this indicator demonstrates the scale of the progress achieved, said the company. In 2019, 26% of Ventisqueros’ waste ended up in landfills. The figure has fallen as a result of systematic efforts to strengthen circular economy practices across all of the company’s operations.
“Reducing the proportion of waste sent to landfills from 26% in 2019 to just 0.6% in 2025 reflects a profound transformation in our management practices and tangible progress toward more circular operations”, said Igor Stack, technical manager at Ventisqueros.
Byproducts and sludge
The main materials recovered in 2025 were salmon byproducts, totalling 23,376 tonnes, followed by 5,672 tonnes of sludge.
The company also recovered plastics, wood, cardboard, paper, household-like waste, metal and electronic scrap, and other industrial waste.
Since 2022, the company has maintained a 100% recovery rate for dewatered sludge and, since 2025, has also achieved full recovery of liquid sludge.
Ventisqueros continues to work with specialised waste management partners to expand recovery alternatives and strengthen its circular economy model.
The last 0.6%
“The challenge now lies in the remaining 0.6%. We want to continue identifying solutions that will enable us to meet our goal of sending zero waste to landfills in 2026,” Stack said.
The recycling results are included in Ventisqueros’ 2025 ESG (environmental, social, and governance) Report. They reflect the progress made in circular economy practices, resource optimisation, and sustainable waste management, said the company.
The report also recorded the consolidation of Ventisqueros’ dual international Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Best Aquaculture Practices certification for 100% of the harvested biomass for the second consecutive year, positioning the salmon among the world’s leading companies in responsible production standards.
In terms of climate action, the company achieved a 30% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions (scopes 1 and 2) compared to 2019, progressing towards its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
