Waste & RecyclingCommunity
Ecuador's Recyclers Recover 90,000 Tonnes a Year, Yet Only 8% Are Organised
by RENAREC (Red Nacional de Recicladores del Ecuador) · HQ 🇪🇨 Ecuador
0people (more than)Grassroots recyclers in Ecuador, per RENAREC data (only ~8% organised)as of 2025-09-08 · may be outdated
0tonnes per yearRecyclable material recovered per year, per RENAREC dataas of 2025-09-08 · may be outdated
0associationsAssociations receiving safety gear and training in the Nestlé Ecuador allianceas of 2026-04-21
RENAREC is Ecuador's national network of grassroots recycler associations, formed in 2008 and presided over by María Elbia Pisuña. It cites more than 20,000 base recyclers nationwide, of whom only about 8% are organised, and about 90,000 tonnes of recyclables recovered each year. In 2026 it partnered with Nestlé Ecuador on 500+ safety items and 100+ hours of occupational safety training for 21 recycler associations. It also works with Arca Continental's DAR programme and presses for municipal inclusive-recycling ordinances such as the one pending in Cuenca.