The recycling crisis in Aconcagua Radio: Material prices are falling, endangering 28 families.

From the Las Heras Industrial Park, Mayra Gómez, a member of the El Algarrobo cooperative , spoke with Aconcagua Radio about the impact the drop in prices for cardboard, glass, tin, and other recyclable waste has had on her sector. The cooperative is made up of 28 families who make a living from the daily work of collecting, sorting, and selling dry waste.

The cooperative of urban recyclers in Las Heras is facing a critical situation due to the sharp drop in prices for cardboard, glass, and other materials. They claim that the opening of imports has devalued local labor and jeopardized their main source of income .

"We used to sell cardboard for $195, and now we're billing it for $85," said the Mendoza recyclers, warning of the drop in the value of materials. "We're dedicated to recycling with social inclusion," explained Mayra, who emphasized that they work with clean, dry materials collected door-to-door. From their headquarters in Las Heras, the team organizes collection routes, sorting days, and collective sales. "Each family has their own payroll, and at the end of the month they're paid based on what they recovered," she explained.

However, since October of last year, the industry has faced a bleak outlook. “The sharpest decline has been in cardboard. We went from selling it at $195 plus VAT to just $85 per kilo. It's a huge loss,” he warned. According to Gómez, the cause is directly related to the opening of imports promoted by the national government: “Since the industry was authorized to import recyclable materials from abroad, local labor began to be devalued.”

The phenomenon isn't limited to cardboard. There were also declines in other materials key to the cooperatives' livelihoods. "We used to sell tinplate for $88, and now it's $40 a kilo. Glass dropped to $50, and PET (plastic bottles) also plummeted," he listed.

The equation is simple but devastating: customers who previously purchased materials at a good price are now turning to foreign markets, pushing down the value of locally recovered materials. "When buyers get cheaper prices abroad, they stop valuing us. And that forces us to sell for less," Gómez lamented.

Added to this is the competition with informal collectors. "They often meet our colleagues on the same route and share material, because they know that if they take it to a small farm they don't know, they'll be paid up to $30 per kilo. It's a huge difference," he noted.

Despite the daily efforts, what is recovered isn't enough. "A recycler can collect about 100 kilos of cardboard and barely 2 kilos of glass per day," he commented. In concrete terms, that means daily incomes barely exceeding $1,000 per family in some cases. If two or three adults per household—the only ones authorized to work in the cooperative—the bottom line is still there.

But the situation doesn't just compromise the economic livelihood of the 28 families that make up El Algarrobo. It also jeopardizes the progress made in environmental matters. "Today we've prevented 17 tons of waste from going to the landfill. That's not just about work; it's also about health and environmental protection," he said.

The devaluation of recycling work threatens to multiply the accumulated trash and waste tons of reusable materials. "There are large generators who are very conscientious, but if recycling stops being profitable, all of that goes down the drain. It's a setback for everyone," warned Gómez.

Despite the adversities, the cooperative persists in its mission: to promote a circular economy model, with social inclusion and genuine employment. “Knowing how to separate waste at home doesn't cost much, but for us it makes a big difference,” Mayra emphasized. She also noted that the problem isn't unique to Mendoza: “Imports have impacted cooperatives across the country.”

The El Algarrobo cooperative operates in the Las Heras Industrial Park, on Calle 13, near the Carmela Fassi Foundation. They are open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. From there, they continue to strive to sustain an activity that embodies work, ecology, and social justice.

Listen to the full article here, and you can listen to the radio live at www.aconcaguaradio.com