Trash is not garbage. This is the motto of one of Peru’s most innovative recycling campaigns, one that has already turned a million plastic bottles into thousands of ponchilas. In Peru, a ponchila – a combination of the Spanish words “poncho” and “mochila” – refers to a backpack with a built-in poncho. The items were designed to protect the poorest children in the Andes, many of whom must travel several kilometres a day, often in [...]

First and foremost green waste should be about providing a lower cost service for a type of waste that can be recycled. When green waste can be recycled, that is when it is diverted from going to landfill (the tip) and turned into a useful product that can be used to meet a need in the community. The first saving achieved by recycling the green waste is that waste levies are avoided, saving the customer [...]