This paper seeks to analyze the characteristics of the informal circuit of waste collection and recovery in Buenos Aires - developed since the late 1990’s and, especially, towards the end of 2001 - and investigate the reasons that stimulate the circuit growth, the new characteristic acquired by the circuit in the second stage, and the positioning taken by environmental theory and public policies about this typology of waste recovery, prototypical in Latin American cities. Parallel to waste management performed by the government, an informal way of waste collection and recovery has been developed, carried out by low income people, who negotiate recyclable waste as a way to survive. The paper outlines the characteristics of this circuit in Buenos Aires - the routes, streets, timetables and types of waste - analisyng this phenomenom not only as expression of urban poverty but also as an alternative way to municipal solid waste treatment.
Environment; Urban poverty; Informal waste collection; Public policies