Codelco–Valora Más tyre alliance: REP compliance notes for mine operators
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
Codelco has signed a strategic agreement with Chilean collective management system Valora Más to recover category A end-of-life tyres, defined as units with rim diameters under 57 inches used on light vehicles and support fleets across its operations. The alliance focuses on optimising collection, traceability and recycling logistics for these ELTs under Chile’s REP (Extended Producer Responsibility) framework, complementing existing in-pit and plant waste streams. For mine operators, the move signals tighter compliance expectations on tyre segregation, storage design and contracted recycling capacity for small and medium-sized tyres, not just ultra-class haul truck tyres.
Technical Brief
- Integration with existing in-pit and plant waste streams will require updated internal procedures and contractor interfaces.
- Similar REP-style schemes in other jurisdictions could impose comparable data, storage and recovery obligations on mine sites.
Our Take
Codelco’s tyre recovery alliance with Valora Más sits alongside its move to 100% electromobility at the Ventanas Division, signalling that the state miner is now targeting both mobile equipment emissions and downstream waste streams in its sustainability projects coverage.
With Chile processing only a small share of its copper concentrates domestically, as highlighted in recent smelting utilisation analysis involving Codelco and Cochilco, higher-profile waste and recycling initiatives such as end-of-life tyre recovery can help bolster Codelco’s ESG narrative even while its core processing footprint remains constrained.
The 57‑inch rim diameter threshold for Category A end-of-life tyres implies a focus on the larger haulage and support fleet; in our database, similar large-tyre recovery schemes have often been a precursor to broader circular-economy contracts covering conveyor belts, liners and other high-volume consumables at major copper operations.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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