Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow Albina Ruiz—a new way of looking at waste management

In developing countries, very low income individuals collect trash as a way of earning a living. In Latin America they are known as “recicladores” or recyclers, and in Bogota, we had traffic jams cause by recyclers who rode on "zorras" (talking about innovation, I was told that that they are now using CD's as light reflectors when they are on the road at night). 

Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow Albina Ruiz, through her organization Ciudad Saludable (Healthy City), is organizing these informal workers so that they can earn a decent living. AshokaTech interviewed her about how she came up with this idea and what her plans are for the future:

What do you want to change?
That areas in which poor people reside are clean and healthy, and that recycling is valued as legitimate work.

Why do you want to make this change?
Because when trash accumulates where people live, and in rural areas, there is a negative impact in public health and in the environment, causing a series of illnesses particularly pressing on the most vulnerable: children and the elderly.

What is your new idea?
Through our organization, Ciudad Saludable, we organize the recyclers and the unemployed (mostly women who are heads of households) so that they can become micro-entrepreneurs who offer waste management services such as collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal of waste, as well as selective recollection of recyclable materials. We are working wtih municipalities so that they can think of recyclers as strategic partners in an integrated waste management system.

What was your “Aha” moment?
When I moved from the jungle (Moyobamba) to Lima (Peru’s capital) to study engineering, I discovered something incredible: waste. To me, “waste” was a concept that did not exist until that moment, because in the jungle we make use of everything. In college I sought the solution to this problem, and for my thesis, I wrote about environmental sanitation through micro-enterprise development. When I graduated I decided to implement it. I realized that waste is not just a problem—it is also an opportunity to generate employment while developing healthy cities.
 
What about your background helps make you successful at what you do?
In college I studied Industrial Engineering, and I later attained a Masters Degree in Environmental Science and a PhD in Chemical Engineering. All my theses have been geared towards solving the issue of solid waste by looking at them as raw material. For my Doctoral Thesis I designed and implemented a system of bio-digesters, artificial wetlands and farming. This allowed families to use biogas instead of firewood or plastic for cooking; to treat the water coming from their homes to fertilize their arid soil; and to use the waste that they were using to feed their pigs to grow sweet potatoes, alfalfa, corn, and other crops.

Can you tell us some anecdotes from your work?
I met Sonia Quispe while she was collecting organic waste in the streets with her mother, doña Dominga, to feed her pigs.  Sonia received training, credit and tools through Ciudad Saludable (our organization). Sonia, along with other women who have gone through our program, created her own micro-enterprise called “ecomanos” which use recycled paper to manufacture products like purses and picture frames. These products are sold through exclusive Peruvian stores like Dedalo and Indico, and to large enterprises like Pepsico and Natura. Sonia speaks at different schools about recycling artisanal paper, and gives classes on how to create paper masks. Sonia is now a teacher and an entrepreneur and she feels proud of the change that she has undergone. Today, her son Diego is studying Industrial Engineering and helps Sonia with the accounting. Ciudad Saludable helps women like Sonia support their household and even send remittances to their families in Spain and France. Individuals like Sonia make these 20 years of working in the field something that I love.

Where are you in the process of reaching your ultimate goal?
The Ciudad Saludable model is in 60 Peruvian cities, and we are now working to pass a law that allows 100,000 recyclers in Peru to receive our services (like training and financing) from the municipalities.

We have replicated Ciudad Saludable’s model in other countries of Latin America including Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador and we are hoping to influence public policy there as well.

With the Education Ministry we have a program of continuous learning that we have implemented in more than 800 schools.

Through FEM and another Ashoka Fellow, we are developing a proposal to replicate our model in India. Our dream is to have our postgraduate course go global, which is in its 6th edition in a partnership with la Universidad Católica of Peru—an online training program on solid wastes. Similarly, we developed a technical development program for recyclers with SENATI, a prestigious technical school in Peru, and we are sure that we can go global.

We also hope to partner with banks to develop credit lines below-market rate for recyclers.

Learn more about Albina and Ciudad Saludable by visiting: http://www.ciudadsaludable.org/en/