HOW do I RECYCLE?
There is currently no formal recycling system in Paraguay. Until there is one in place, it is up to us to take responsibility and action. Recyclables are valuable. They are an important income for the informal recycling community. They should not end up lost in landfills and rivers.
Feel GOOD
Know that your actions are making a positive ecological and social impact in Paraguay.
1. Be Smart -
Do you know where their trash goes?
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In Paraguay, there are more than 5,000 informal recyclers who collect recyclable materials from the streets every day. They sort these items at home and sell them directly to factories, or to intermediaries who sell in bulk to recycling plants.
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In the process of sorting recyclables, many items are discarded because they are contaminated with organic waste or because they are not recyclable.
And what happens if the municipal truck takes it?
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Municipal trucks collect your garbage every week and take it directly to the landfill.
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At landfills, a large number of "scavengers" rummage through the city's garbage in search of recyclable items to sell to recycling factories.
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The waste pickers have 15 minutes to do this before the bags are pushed into the landfill pit. If the waste isn't separated, recyclable materials aren't identified in time, are buried, and lost forever.
One simple gesture, one triple impact.
Separating your recyclables into a different bag may seem insignificant, but it changes the fate of those materials — even if they are picked up by the municipal truck.
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More material is recovered. Clean, separated recyclables retain their value instead of becoming contaminated in the landfill.
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Better income for recyclers. In Paraguay, recyclers and waste pickers are not officially recognized as workers and do not receive a fixed salary: each kilo they recover is their income.
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Less waste in nature. What is recycled doesn't end up in the river, the landfill, or the forest.
2. Separate appropriately
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Set up a designated recycling bin in your kitchen and bathroom. Recycling is easy when you have a place to put your materials.
Learn about recyclable materials
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High-value recyclables: Metals (cans, bottle caps, iron, steel, copper, bronze, etc.), plastics (PET, LDPE, and PP), and cardboard. These are collected by recyclers and waste pickers because they have commercial value. If you want to take the first step, start by separating these materials into a bag. It doesn't matter if they all go together; the important thing is that they are clean and dry.
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Low-value recyclables and specialized items: Glass bottles, Tetra Pak (children's juice cartons, milk/sauce cartons), electronic waste, batteries, polystyrene foam, and polystyrene containers. These are also recyclable, but because they are low-value, not all recyclers collect them, and they often end up in landfills. It is necessary to contact specific initiatives that use these materials as raw materials but do not buy them by weight.
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Non-recyclable: clear plastic food containers (cake/nut/dried fruit boxes), biodegradable plastics, resealable paper/plastic bags (nuts), paper napkins, anything with oil and organic waste.
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Organics: food scraps and other biodegradable materials.
Even if you focus on just one object, you're already doing a great job!
Preparation of Recyclables
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No organic waste! Factories will reject "contaminated" items: Rinse your materials to avoid flies and bad odors. Cut any organic waste from cardboard, for example, cut greasy pieces from pizza boxes.
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Glass - only unbroken brown, green, and clear glass bottles. Better if you wrap them in cardboard to prevent accidents.
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Crush plastics and cardboard to reduce volume.
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Put all recyclables in a bag. When the bag is full, connect with a collector/initiative. If they are high-value recyclables, you can put them out with regular trash (but be careful, always in a separate bag).
Preparation of Organics: Composting
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Avoiding sending organic waste to landfills produces methane that pollutes the air and rivers.
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Keep a bowl on the kitchen counter for tea, coffee, eggshells, and fruit and vegetable scraps.
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Buy a composter or dig a hole in the garden (see resources for options).
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Rotate with "dry" (dead leaves/plants/cardboard) and "wet" (food scraps).
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Alternatively, feed animals with food scraps (for example, see if your egg producer accepts them).
3. CONNECT WITH YOUR COLLECTOR
Be proactive
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There is no municipality service for your recyclables so you have to take the initiative.
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Connect with an informal recycler on your street and arrange a day and time for them to pick up your recyclables. Find out what items they will take (most only want higher value items).
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Take your own recyclables to your local drop off point or direct to the factory (large amounts and specialist items). Google maps displays some here.
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Arrange a private company to manage the collection of your recyclables from your home or office. These companies provide support for you and your building on how to separate at source. They also provide data updates on how much waste has been diverted from landfill.
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For hard to recycle items contact the recycling factory directly (see Resources) or one of the companies below.
If you know of any payment services that promote environmental conservation, we'd love to hear about them!
Send us an email to paraguaysinbasura@gmail.com
For more recycling organizations and initiatives, click here.