Inclusive Recycling: A New Paradigm for the Sustainable Management of Solid Waste in Cities

Latin America stands for the most urbanized and unequal region in the world, where urban poverty coexist with a deep gap in the provision of good quality public services, including waste management. This situation represent an important risk, not only in social terms but also environmentally. Within this context, during the last decades, millions of Urban Recyclers from every country in the region have developed “green jobs”: by collecting recyclables from houses and businesses, they contribute with up to 50% of all the recyclable materials that our cities recover, preventing them to end up in (mostly informal) landfills. Despite the significant benefit that recyclers provide to society, both in environmental and economic terms, they are living in social exclusion and economic exploitation, where poverty is increased because of health and housing issues, derived from their working conditions. Urban recyclers are the first link in a value chain where they are invisible, unrecognized by governments and society in general, operating informally, with instances of unnecessary intermediation which capture most of the value of their work, while nurturing a global industry that moves billions of dollars annually. In the case of women, this situation is even worst, because an unequal access to the material, obtaining lower income for equal work, and assuming the double burden (recycling and family). As an alternative to overcome this issues, the Partners of the Regional Initiative for the Inclusive Recycling (https://reciclajeinclusivo.org/) are proud the share their joint experience and vision towards a New Paradigm in urban solid waste management: Inclusive Recycling. Leaders from Urban Recyclers Organizations, Municipal Governments, Private Enterprises’ and Cooperation Entities will present the key benefits and challenges of this approach, which is already helping to improve the working conditions, income and quality of life in 17 countries across the region.