Buenos Aires Cartoneros Face Uncertain Future Amidst Economic Instability and Policy Changes
Informal recyclers, known as cartoneros, in Buenos Aires are facing an increasingly uncertain future due to ongoing economic instability and new city administration policies. These workers, who collect recyclable waste from the streets, emerged as a mass phenomenon after Argentina's devastating 2001 economic crisis and have since become integrated into the city's recycling system through cooperatives. However, the current city Mayor Jorge Macri's administration aims to reshape waste collection with stricter enforcement, private contractors, and technology-driven monitoring. This overhaul includes banning handcarts, retrofitting rubbish containers with narrow lids to prevent material extraction, and promoting a new dry-waste tender that could shift much of the recycling system to private companies. Cartoneros report that their situation has regressed to levels reminiscent of the 2001 crisis, struggling to afford basic necessities like food and gas, and feeling that their established rights are being lost. 
