eRecycling: A Life Experience, a Solution for Waste Management

Abstract

Written by the creator of eRECICLAJE, this article recounts the history of this initiative, which began in 2000 as a university project on waste management and evolved into a community recycling organization in Medellín. The authors document the development of a multi-user fee system at the Entremontes building, which reduced waste generation by 60% and cut the monthly collection fee from 36,000 to 8,000 pesos per apartment. The text describes the development of the ecobrick technique and a small-scale sanitary landfill on Santa Cruz del Islote, and the project's connection to UNEP's global Clean Up the World campaign.