From Trash to Cash

Waste pickers in Asunción, Paraguay collect both cardboards and plastics for compensation, but they leave glass untouched since the city lacks a system that allows people to return glass to be recycled in exchange for money. To address this, we have written a letter of intent outlining a possible system for collection, which could serve as an early step to get funding for the program. This would provide important long term benefits for the waste pickers including an increased family income, the opportunity to work collaboratively towards a common goal, and a way to take account of the often undocumented waste pickers and their families. Environmental Results • Decreases glass material going into landfills and increases glass material going out of landfills • Creates cradle-to-cradle life cycle • Reduces energy spending for the production of new