by efeinblatt | Oct 10, 2007 | argentina, cooperatives, technology
Yesterday, accompanied by Rhiannon, our amazing friend and translator, we visited the Cooperativa de trabajo “19 de diciembre.” We learned about this ‘recuperated’ metallurgic factory shortly after arriving in BA, and it’s name kept...
by cbaillie | Sep 27, 2007 | argentina, technology
Whilst our partner Darko works away in Canada to try to get funding for future work (to build more hot presses in Africa), here in Buenos Aires I try to understand his design and interpret it for the potential hot press manufacturers that I have been speaking to. Its...
by teach12 | Sep 27, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros
We arrived in Buenos Aires almost 3 months ago (it’s now the project’s midpoint) with some fairly ambitious but, nevertheless, straightforward goals: share knowledge of the processes of combining waste plastic with natural fibers to produce affordable...
by efeinblatt | Sep 25, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros
Bajo Flores is one of five sorting centers or ‘green points’ that figure prominently in BA’s Zero Garbage Law plans. We’ll speak in detail about the significance of these centers in a subsequent post, but mention Bajo Flores here because it is...
by cbaillie | Sep 11, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros
After an aborted attempt two weeks ago to start our theatre group at Bajo Flores, we were very excited yesterday to meet five shy individuals who wanted to explore what we had to offer. We really had no idea what they had been told at the sorting unit but three women...
by cbaillie | Sep 11, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros, cooperatives
Yesterday Maria Virginia welcomed us again into her home in Ituzaingo. I am not sure why it surprises me that life moves on so quickly for our Urban Recoverer friends. Virginia had mended her van and was about to sell all her current supplies of recyclables as she had...
by cbaillie | Sep 9, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros
Carlos Perini and his cooperative Avellenada was in a much healthier place this week when we visited. I wanted to make sure Carlos did not think we had forgotten him even though we still didn’t have any firm plans for a hotpress so we returned and met with several...
by cbaillie | Sep 9, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros
Two cooperatives funded by Working World, Etilplast and Villa Angelica are examples of small family coop organizations which buy waste plastic and reprocess it to add value to the chain. Villa Angelica has a yard full of waste and two machines which chop up the...
by cbaillie | Sep 9, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros
A visit to CEAMSE as described in the last post does not necessarily include a visit to the landfill. As we were not official visitors’ we had to use much persuasive power to get to the landfill itself. What CEAMSE did not want publicized is that the cartoneros still...
by cbaillie | Sep 9, 2007 | argentina, cartoneros
A visit to CEAMSE’s landfill Norte 111 involves a tour around three sorting plants. The evolution of the tour is in itself a fascinating psychological journey. We got into a small air conditioned bus with some business men in white shirts and a very different mission...
