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Inclusive Recycling Ambassadors

Comprehensive education and awareness project that aims to hold PET plastic waste generators accountable by designating volunteer transporters for its recovery.

Municipality

AR
Pergamino, Buenos Aires,

Category / Sub-Category / Topic

Environment, Waste management

Type of investment needed

Grant

Associated SDGs

The challenge

Less than 0.2% of the PET waste generated in Pergamino in 2024 was recovered by the Pergamino Protected Workshop.

The project

Protected Bottles Ambassadors is a comprehensive awareness and education project that aims to help the residents of Pergamino understand the value of PET plastic and its potential for reuse by transferring the responsibility of recycling to the community. The project builds on the Actúa en Verde program, overcoming challenges, strengthening the collection network, and expanding its impact.

The systemic change it seeks is to increase the recovery of PET plastic bottles by actively involving the Pergamino community in collection efforts and reinforcing the role of the Taller Protegido Pergamino, highlighting the importance of its work.

The initiative focuses on two main pillars:

  • Network of co-responsibility: A network of actors is created, involving teachers, children, families, transporters, and various local institutions such as the Padre Galli Community Development Center, clubs, churches, environmental entrepreneurs, businesses, and companies. The goal is to ensure that bottles are not treated as waste but are reintegrated into a real and sustainable recovery cycle. Every person plays a key role in the process, with a special focus on raising awareness among children as future change agents.
  • Accessible collection infrastructure: Collection points are installed in educational, sports, and neighborhood spaces. Institutions, businesses, companies, and chambers take responsibility for maintaining these points and encouraging community participation. In addition, the project works with “solidarity drivers” who transport the collected materials to the Taller Protegido Pergamino, ensuring proper recovery and a closed recycling loop.

Through this community collaboration, the project strengthens environmental education and creates a collective commitment that enables the development of a solid recovery network for PET and blow-molded plastics, ensuring they reach the Taller Protegido Pergamino for processing.

Between December 2024 and February 2025, the project carries out several prototyping activities at Club Otero (in the neighborhood of the same name), at four other clubs, and during a public event (Zumbatón). Members of the Taller Protegido Pergamino give talks to children and adolescents, and activities are held to identify different types of waste and how to manage them properly at home. At Club Otero, one full bag is collected in just one week.

From the prototype, the team realizes that there is a high level of unawareness among adults, no knowledge among children and teens, and very little business and social awareness regarding reuse and recycling practices in the city. That’s why communication becomes a key component of the project, promoting awareness, education, and commitment in a structured, measurable, and scalable way.

The project calls on all residents of Pergamino to become bottle ambassadors in their everyday lives and to influence the spaces they are part of. The intended impact is both positive and expansive, with children and adolescents—who number 35,000 in Pergamino—serving as the main agents of change. Each child or teen is encouraged to influence four people in their environment in order to reach the entire city. To make this possible, a virtual training program is being designed for those who wish to become certified Protected Bottle Ambassadors.

Progress as of March 2025:

  • The Subsecretariat of Sports joined the project team and the role of solidarity drivers is formally incorporated.
  • Five agreements were signed with sports clubs that host summer camps, and the solidarity driver model is being piloted with two companies.
  • Five workshops were delivered in those clubs.

Know more...

Pergamino, with 115,340 inhabitants, is the most important city in the northern part of the Buenos Aires province and serves as the head of the district of the same name. It stands out as the region’s main commercial, educational, healthcare, entertainment, cultural, and industrial hub. Its dynamism and development have made it a key textile center in Argentina, earning it the nickname “The Pearl of the North” in the 20th century.

One of the most pressing environmental issues in Pergamino is the management of plastic waste, particularly PET bottles. The city generates 114 tons of waste daily, and according to estimates based on global household plastic waste averages, about 25% of this is recyclable plastic. The lack of source separation and improper disposal of these materials causes serious environmental consequences, such as soil and water pollution and a negative impact on wildlife. Additionally, plastic takes more than 500 years to degrade, further worsening the issue.

The main causes of this problem lie in the lack of environmental education and awareness of the circular economy from an early age. Many empty bottles end up in general waste instead of being properly recycled, thereby losing their potential for reuse.

To address this issue, the Municipality of Pergamino launched the “Actuá en Verde” (“Act Green”) program in 2016, an initiative aimed at fostering the circular economy and promoting waste separation at the source. Color-coded collection bins were installed at 70 points throughout the city, and awareness campaigns were carried out via social media, schools, and community centers. In addition, the Taller Protegido Pergamino—a facility that provides training and employment for people with disabilities who, for various reasons, cannot access formal jobs in the conventional labor market—was designated as the recipient and processor of PET bottles collected in the orange bins through the “Sumando Compromiso” (“Adding Commitment”) program, ensuring not only recycling but also job opportunities for people with disabilities.

Despite the progress made, the program faces major challenges. Between 2018 and 2019, the city rolled out a new waste collection system with 3,000 green containers, placing one on each block. This led many citizens to choose the convenience of disposing of all their waste in a single location, rather than taking PET plastics to the designated orange bins. As a result, the number of bottles recovered for recycling has decreased significantly. Moreover, the Taller Protegido Pergamino, responsible for processing the collected bottles, does not have its own transportation for material transfer, complicating logistics. On top of that, the orange bins do not always receive only PET bottles—improper waste is often deposited, bottles arrive dirty, or the bins are subject to vandalism and theft. Without sustained community commitment, along with improved infrastructure and awareness efforts, the gains achieved could be at risk, increasing pollution and undermining opportunities for social inclusion in the city.

Design of a virtual course to certify those who complete this training in the proper handling of PET plastic bottles, so they can contribute to the circular economy. The course trains participants to identify PET plastic bottles, distinguish them from blow-molded plastic bottles, understand where each type should be deposited for proper recovery, and learn about their subsequent uses. The activities allow the recovered bottle pathway to be adapted to the specific needs of each city.

Design and pilot of a Communication Program to raise public awareness with data on the importance of their collaboration and to position the Taller Protegido Pergamino as a key player in the recovery of PET plastic bottles. The communication program will include: sharing testimonials from workshop workers and ambassadors on social media; recognizing high-impact ambassadors through social media and public events; promoting guided visits to the workshop to showcase the impact of community contributions; and providing visual identifiers and awards for ambassadors.

Building sustainable partnerships between sports venues and the Taller Protegido Pergamino: Establish collaboration agreements with clubs, gyms, and other sports institutions to serve as collection points for PET bottles and blow-molded plastics. These partnerships will ensure a steady flow of recyclable materials to the Taller Protegido Pergamino and encourage active involvement of the sports community in environmental care. Additionally, “solidarity transporters” will be designated to deliver full bags to the workshop, ensuring proper recovery.

Monitoring and coordination of bag transport to the Taller Protegido Pergamino: Oversee the collection of PET bottles and blow-molded plastics at collection points and coordinate with solidarity transporters for delivery to the Taller Protegido Pergamino, ensuring a constant and efficient flow of recyclable materials. Track the collection status and delivery of the materials.

Awareness talks and workshops in schools, clubs, and summer camps: Organize educational sessions with the participation of workers from the Taller Protegido Pergamino to raise awareness among children and youth about the importance of separating and recovering PET bottles and blow-molded plastics, emphasizing their social and environmental impact. Provide educational kits and games (coloring pages, stickers, animated videos).

Protected Bottle Day: Establish an annual day in Pergamino dedicated to raising awareness about PET and blow-molded plastic recovery. Activities will include educational events, large-scale material collection, and recognition of the most committed ambassadors, reinforcing the project’s message throughout the community.

Direct results

  • One virtual course created.
  • One communication program developed and implemented.
  • 20 collaboration agreements signed with various local institutions and businesses.
  • 20 talks and workshops held in 20 institutions.
  • First Protected Bottle Day celebrated.

Expected impact

  • Increase the amount of PET recovered by 25% compared to 2024 (baseline: 17,838 kg recovered), equivalent to 750 one-cubic-meter bags recovered in one year.
  • Municipality of Pergamino's Communication and Press Department (https://www.instagram.com/munipergamino/, www.pergamino.ar)
  • Sub-secretariat of Sports, Municipality of Pergamino (https://www.instagram.com/deportespergaminooficial/)
  • Actúa en Verde (https://www.instagram.com/actuaenverde/)
  • Gimnasia y Esgrima Club (https://www.instagram.com/clubgimnasiayesgrimapergamino/?hl=es) 
  • Douglas Club (https://www.instagram.com/clubdouglashaig/?hl=es)
  • Empleados de Comercio Club (https://www.instagram.com/cec.pergamino/?hl=es)
  • Argentino Club (https://www.instagram.com/clubatleticoargentinopergamino/?hl=es)
  • Play Fútbol (https://www.instagram.com/playfutbolpergamino/?hl=es-la)
  • El Portón Padel (https://www.instagram.com/elportonpadel/)
  • Banco Provincia Club (https://www.instagram.com/clubbancopergamino/)
  • Soles Building Materials (https://www.instagram.com/soles_corralon/?hl=es)
  • ALRA (https://www.instagram.com/alrapergamino/?hl=es)
  • CELP (Electric Cooperative of Pergamino) (https://www.instagram.com/celpergamino/?hl=es)
  • Silvana Pirchi, Open Government Coordinator, Private Secretariat, Municipality of Pergamino (silvana.pirchi@pergamino.gob.ar)
  • Ana Di Santo, Open Government, Private Secretariat, Municipality of Pergamino (anadelasmercedes1972@gmail.com)
  • Paolo Bonanno, Secretary of Social Development, Municipality of Pergamino (paolo.bonnano@pergamino.gob.ar)
  • Dora Moyano, President of Taller Protegido Pergamino (dorimoy53@gmail.com)
  • Maria Veronica Rubio, Coordinator of Institutional Activities at Taller Protegido Pergamino (veronica45arge@gmail.com)

Investment

(*): In kind/pro bonus

(**): Financing

Goods and inputs
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Distintivos y merchandising para el día de la botella protegida (stickers, pines, calcos) (*) (**)

u$s 1000.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 1000.00

Kits didácticos para 20 talleres (*) (**)

u$s 1000.00

u$s 800.00

u$s 200.00

Services
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Editor de videos por 12 meses (*) (**)

u$s 6000.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 6000.00

Experto en Educación ambiental por 60 horas (*) (**)

u$s 600.00

u$s 600.00

u$s 0.00

Experto en accesibilidad web y comunicacion accesible por 60 horas (*) (**)

u$s 900.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 900.00

Alquiler de espacio para desarrollar el día de la botella protegida (*)

u$s 500.00

u$s 500.00

u$s 0.00

Alquiler de equipos de audios / escenario / videos para el día de la botella protegida (*) (**)

u$s 3500.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 3500.00

Human resources
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Docente para el diseño de un programa educativo accesible - 60 horas (*) (**)

u$s 450.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 450.00

Plataforma E-learning + hosting - Licencia anual (*)

u$s 1800.00

u$s 1800.00

u$s 0.00

Content media manager del Taller protegido, part time, por 12 meses (*) (**)

u$s 3600.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 3600.00

Operarios que dictarán 20 talleres (*)

u$s 200.00

u$s 200.00

u$s 0.00

Others
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Transporte de 2 operarios a 20 talleres (*)

u$s 200.00

u$s 200.00

u$s 0.00

TOTAL AMOUNTS:

u$s 19750.00

u$s 4100.00

u$s 15650.00

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