Even though it's a very everyday term for us, we know that the vast majority of people are still unaware of what “inclusive recycling” is, and its importance since the circular economy in the fight for the mitigation of climate change. That's why at ReciVeci we decided to do this blog.
Inclusive recycling:
It's one thing to recycle, and another to recycle inclusively. When we talk about Inclusive Recycling, we talk about recognizing the place that grassroots recyclers have in the recycling chain. It is to find economic, social, environmental, political and cultural value in those who live in this profession, and facilitate their inclusion and remuneration in new waste management models.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, “It is estimated that up to 4 million people earn their livelihood through the collection, transport, separation and sale of recyclable materials, such as cardboard, paper, glass, plastic and metal.” In Ecuador, at least in the cities of Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, it is estimated that 70% of those who live in this profession are women.
“People who carry out basic recycling, mainly women, are a key part of the system: half of the materials that enter recycling chains in Ecuador come from their work.” - Chapter “The value they provide: inclusive recycling, social innovation and climate action”,
FLABBY.
In the context of Ecuador, only 25% of the total potentially recyclable waste is recycled, and of this percentage, 50% thanks to the work of the more than 20,000 recyclers that exist in the country. But these numbers are not unique to Ecuador:
“Grassroots recyclers provide approximately 25%-50% of all municipal recycled waste collection in the Latin American and Caribbean region (UN-Habitat, 2010). In turn, they provide services to municipal governments by extending the lifespan of landfills, reducing transportation costs, reducing the need to extract new materials, and providing environmental and public health benefits, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. - Advances and challenges for inclusive recycling: evaluation of 12 cities in Latin America and the Caribbean
ReciVeci and Inclusive Recycling
Although their work has been invisible for decades (a reality that is fortunately changing, with regard to the organization of these people through associations, and the new paradigms of the circular economy), the reality is that the work of waste pickers has a lot of value, and at ReciVeci we are just working to make it visible, creating links through the ReciApp mobile app with the rest of the actors: public sector, private sector, citizens, etc., to create strategies for the recovery of recyclable material that generates social benefits and environmental.
Inclusive recycling and the 3 R's in the medium term
Finally, recycling, which includes the role of recyclers, also strengthens the concept of environmental “3 Rs” proposed by the Circular Economy: reduce, reuse, recycle. If we look at it in the short and medium term, it benefits many more actors in the waste management chain:
“The ideal scenario encompasses much more than the improvement of working conditions for basic recyclers and includes the gradual and negotiated construction of an inclusive solid waste management model that benefits: 1) public institutions, 2) society (complying with environmental, public health and social standards), 3) companies that generate waste, 4) companies dedicated to the transformation of waste and 5) basic recyclers. ” - Advances and challenges for inclusive recycling: evaluation of 12 cities in Latin America and the Caribbean
In the long term, inclusive recycling and the circular economy
At ReciVeci, it is important to state that while we advocate building an inclusive recycling culture, the ideal is that as we move towards a true circular economy, recycling should not be a first option. Much less, that the production of objects continues to increase because in the end the product is “partially or 100% recyclable”.
However, we recognize that the path to a true paradigm shift in production models will take time. In that sense, we stick to this position: “Although we start from the recognition that recycling is not the only or the best solution to the long-term waste problem, we assume that the reality of our Latin American contexts (...) requires that our efforts, in the short and medium term, be focused on recycling.” - Urban political ecology in the face of climate change, FLABBY.
Sources:
- Advances and challenges for inclusive recycling: evaluation of 12 cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, The Economist Intelligence Unit
- Urban political ecology in the face of climate change, FLABBY.
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/medio-ambiente/asi-funciona-reciclaje-inclusivo-economia-circular-impacto-social_21270
- https://www.alianzabasuraceroecuador.com/reciclaje-inclusivo/
- https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/ec/25eb8277278b62a294bd9ed191b1dfcf29db0388dab85b2eca38c95a6eb48044.pdf
