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. GET SMART -
where does your trash go?
Landfill
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Municipal trucks pick up your trash each week and take it directly to the landfill. By the time your trash bags have been crushed up and dumped at the landfill, most of the recyclable items in those bags are already contaminated and lose their value.
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At Cateura, Asuncion’s landfill, over 500 “Gancheros” sift through the city’s trash looking for recyclable items to sell on to the recycling factories. They have 15 minutes to do this before the bags are pushed into the landfill.
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Cateura is overflowing with trash, and leaching chemicals into the river. Diverting recyclables from the landfill will free up precious space and minimize further pollution in nature.
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By separating your recyclables at home, you are helping the waste pickers retrieve and sell your items to a recycling facility
Informal recyclers
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Over 5000 informal recyclers collect recyclables from Asuncion’s streets. They sort these items in their homes and sell direct to factories, or to ‘middle men’ who sell in bulk to the recycling factories.
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In the process of sorting recyclables, many items are discarded into nature because they are not recyclable, they are contaminated with organic waste, or not of value.
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Separating properly at source will boost the income of these informal recyclers and make their work more efficient. It is also key to ensuring less trash ends up in nature.
2. SEPARATE PROPERLY
Know your recyclables
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High value recyclables: These are commonly picked up by recicladores de base & ecopuntos: aluminium cans/aerosols, cardboard/paper, plastic numbers 1 (PET plastic bottles) & number 2 (HDPE rigid plastics) & number 5 (PP white yogurt pots, some pasta packaging).
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Low value recyclables: brown & green glass bottles, plastic number 4 (plastic wrap/packaging & bags you can easily tear).
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Specialist items: kitchen appliances, construction metals, e-waste, batteries, styrofoam packaging.
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Cannot be recycled: Tetrapak (kids juice cartons, milk/salsa cartons) clear plastic food containers (cake boxes/clamshells for nuts/dried fruits), biodegradable plastics, paper/plastic resealable pouches (nuts), paper napkins, anything with oil & organic residue.
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Even if you focus on one item, you are doing a great job!
Prepare
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NO organic residues! Factories will refuse ‘contaminated’ items.
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No paper/cardboard with glue, plastics or wax crayons.
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Wash any food & drink out of plastics & metals and dry.
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Cut out any organic residue from cardboard, e.g cut out the greasy bits from pizza boxes.
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Glass - only brown & green glass bottles, no clear or broken glass
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Squash down items.
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Put all recyclables in a bag.
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When the bag is full, connect with a collector.
Compost
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Avoid sending organic waste to landfill. It produces methane that pollutes the air and rivers.
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Keep a bowl on your kitchen counter for tea, coffee, eggs, fruit & vegetable scraps.
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Buy a composter or dig a hole in your garden (see Resources for options).
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Rotate with ‘dry’ (leaves/dead plants/cardboard) and ‘wet’ (food scraps).
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Alternatively feed your food scraps to animals (e.g. see if your egg producer will take it).
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.
Connect with a Company
CONNECT TO A COMPANY
Soluciones Ecologicas
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Take your items to their drop off points called “Ecopuntos”. Each ecopunto is matched to a recycling family, who make an income from selling these items. Find your nearest Ecopunto here.
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Items they accept: Plastic (1,2,5), Aluminium cans & aerosols, Cardboard & Paper.
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They offer a service to connect an informal recycler to your building.
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Join Soluciones Ecologicas ‘Green Drinks’ forum to stay informed on green issues in Paraguay
La Ola
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Arrange a pick up service for your recyclables. La Ola pays their informal recyclers to ensure that all items (including low value items) get to the recycling centres.
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Items they accept: plastics (1,2,4,5), paper, cardboard, metals, Glass, Items that have a low recycling value, Items that are difficult to recycle.
Contacto: consultas@mibarriosinresiduos.com.py
Yaguarate
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Take your Cardboard and Paper to one of their drop off points. They will pay you. Click here to find your nearest drop off point and more info on what items they accept.
Panambi
They manage fruit and vegetable waste and compostable waste with appropriate treatment to create “compost”, which is ultimately used as fertilizer to return to the earth the wealth that once belonged to it.
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environmental energy
They manage Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Fluorescent lamps and bulbs, Batteries, Computer equipment in general. (Computers, screens, printers, keyboards, ink cartridges, etc., Electromechanical machinery and damaged appliances, Cables.
Industrial Waste from Plant Operation and Maintenance/Plastics in general- Used oils and lubricants.
If you know of another collection service, we’d love to hear about them! Email us at hola@paraguaysinbasura.com
For more recycling organisations and initiatives click here.