Cartoneros warn Buenos Aires City recycling overhaul could push them out
Groups representing cartoneros warn that the conditions being set by City Hall for renewing recycling system contracts could push them out and pave the way for private firms to take them over; Cooperatives say the proposed financial and asset requirements are challenging and could lead to their exclusion. Leer más
Cartoneros, or urban recyclers, in Buenos Aires are warning that new recycling system contracts being prepared by the city government could force them out of the system and allow private companies to take over. The current contract expires in September, and cooperatives are particularly concerned about proposed financial and asset requirements that they say they cannot meet.
These requirements include owning recycling centers and vehicle fleets, which the cooperatives argue they cannot afford. The dispute centers around the future of a system that has incorporated cartoneros into public policy over the past two decades. Over 6,500 families are currently part of the system, which recycles around 7,000 tonnes of material per month.
Cooperative leaders express a critical situation and alertness due to the proposed changes. They reject what they call a disguised privatization and insist on maintaining the social character of the recycling system. The city government, on the other hand, argues that the service needs modernization, better traceability, and collection.
The cooperatives also highlight years of underinvestment, including the failure to rebuild a Green Centre destroyed by fire. The cooperatives have invited Pope Leo XIV to meet cartoneros during his visit to Argentina in November, hoping to showcase their work and discuss the economic and social challenges faced by the families involved.
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
