DE LA PAUVRETÉ À LA VALORISATION DES DÉCHETS. LA COLLECTE INFORMELLE À BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINE (2002-2015)

Articulo

Summary *

In Argentina, after the economic, social, and institutional 2001 crisis, therewas a substantial rise in the number of people informally collecting and sellingrecyclable waste. This activity had been ongoing for a long time, but the significantincrease brought attention to an activity previously regarded as unlawful and illicit.From then on, even with discontinuities and drifts, a clear trend was consolidatedtowards the incorporation of informal collectors (colloquially called cartoneros/as) inpublic solid waste management systems, which implies, among other factors, asignificant improvement in their working conditions. This article examines theestablishment of the waste collection circuit over time and how its various regulationshave impacted the work processes of cartoneros. It also explores the political and socialorganizations developed by the collectors, enabling them to negotiate and dispute theterms of this implementation. From our analysis, we suggest that a progression frompoverty to recovery occurred, despite poverty remaining a fundamental aspect of theactivity. Information provided by the agent in SIGEVA