{
  "id": 5810782,
  "title": "Cartoneros face an uncertain future in Buenos Aires",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/cartoneros-face-an-uncertain-future-in-buenos-aires",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-04T16:45:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Buenos Aires Times",
    "slug": "buenos-aires-times",
    "url": "https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/cartoneros-face-an-uncertain-future-in-capital.phtml"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cartoneros, or informal recyclers in Buenos Aires, face an uncertain future as their traditional recycling system is under pressure. Amalia, a 60-year-old cartonera, has been collecting cardboard from city streets for 20 years, despite the physically demanding work and meager earnings. Like many cartoneros, she now drags heavy sacks over her shoulder instead of using handcarts, a change that has made her work even more taxing.\n\nBuenos Aires' cartoneros emerged in the aftermath of the 2001 economic crisis, when tens of thousands of newly unemployed people flocked to the capital. Initially, they scavenged city bins and resold recyclables to manufacturers. Over time, they organized into cooperatives, which received recognition from the government and integrated into the city's recycling system. However, recent changes in waste collection policies, aimed at stricter enforcement, private contractors, and technology, threaten the cartoneros' livelihoods.\n\nCurrent Mayor Jorge Macri's administration wants to reshape waste collection with private contractors and technology. This shift has left Amalia and other cartoneros with concerns about their future. Yesica, another cartonera, compares her situation to that of 2001, when she started working. She says their earnings are insufficient to afford basic necessities like gas, and they must cook on wood fires. The cartoneros' struggle echoes the broader economic instability faced by many Argentines, who are navigating the thin line between work and survival.\n\nDespite their roots dating back to the 1860s, the cartonero phenomenon gained public attention following the 2001 financial crisis. The Buenos Aires City government negotiated a system of 12 cooperatives in 2003-2010, assigning neighborhoods to each cooperative and funding recovery and sorting infrastructure. However, recent policy changes, such as outsourcing maintenance and reducing subsidies, have strained the cooperatives' ability to support their members.\n\nA sociologist involved in the cooperative's founding, Alejandro Gianni, notes that the city has increasingly outsourced functions once handled by the cooperatives. This has led to inefficiencies and increased costs, creating a less sustainable system for the cartoneros. As the city's recycling system faces mounting pressure, the future of these workers remains uncertain.",
  "summary": "The cartoneros emerged from Argentina’s 2001 crisis and became a key part of Buenos Aires waste management network. But City Hall looks to private contractors, tighter enforcement and technology, thousands of informal recyclers fear they are being pushed out. Leer más",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}