ECOTIPS: An Organization that Promotes a Recycling Culture in Quetzaltenango

BY YULIANA YAC PÉREZ/ TRANSLATED BY JONATHAN LOTT

When the Palajunoj Valley in Quetzaltenango blocks access to the municipal landfill, the city streets become filled with garbage bags, creating uncontrolled pollution and leaving waste scattered everywhere.

Between 2016 and 2018, Quetzaltenango experienced one of its worst garbage accumulation crises, affecting both water safety and producing prolonged power outages due to the contamination of the Salamá River. The lack of proper waste treatment has been a long-standing problem for decades, attributable to local and state authorities and civil society itself.

Faced with this scenario and the growing environmental impact, an alliance emerged between two committed environmental engineers from Quetzaltenango, Carol Sosa and Daniel de León, who joined forces to seek lasting solutions and proposals to the garbage problem.
Carol Sosa recalls: “At the end of 2018, we realized the magnitude of the problem. Daniel and I were walking in the bus terminal in zone 3 of the city and we asked ourselves: What can we do? This is a problem that is not going to stop. Waste is generated every day.” Xela was flooded with mountains of garbage. Something had to be done.

Green Thinking: EcoTips

From a young age, Sosa showed a deep interest in environmental issues. She studied agroforestry in high school and, upon entering university, decided to pursue a degree in Local Environmental Management Engineering at the Western University Center. Although her interest was initially oriented towards other branches of environmental engineering, the waste crisis that Quetzaltenango was experiencing led her to rethink her priorities and seek concrete solutions.

Together with Daniel de León, and motivated by the urgency to act, they began to develop a project that today bears the name EcoTips, whose motto and main purpose is to promote environmental awareness.

Sosa explains that the problem of pollution goes far beyond what the population imagines. On one occasion, he recalls, a prolonged power outage in Xela was due to mattresses, garbage bags, and used tires washed away by the rain getting stuck in the hydroelectric dam, causing a generator to burn out.

The problem, Sosa emphasizes, was caused by a lack of awareness about throwing garbage in the streets. “Actions must be taken to prevent further pollution problems,” he says with conviction.

Between 2018 and 2019, EcoTips was born, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote a culture of recycling with a social focus. Since its inception, the initiative has joined forces with GuauXela, with the aim of organizing “Reciclatones,” events in which recyclable materials are collected to raise funds for the rescue and care of dogs and cats that have been mistreated or abandoned.

For Daniel de León, EcoTips Xela is a different kind of recycling center. “We get straight to the point: what am I doing with my recycling? What am I accomplishing?” he asks. These questions, he says, are the starting point for transforming the way we think and act towards the environment.

Innovative Ideas

EcoTips devised a system based on a points exchange program, through which people can exchange recyclable materials for products and services: organic personal care products, food, computer repair services, or pet food, depending on the percentage of points accumulated. This mechanism seeks to encourage the habit of recycling and motivate the population to actively participate.

It’s a constant challenge, Sosa acknowledges, because it involves promoting the participation of the entire community.

Over the years, the organization has expanded its work to other areas of action, such as reforestation projects, in which each event surpasses the number of trees planted in the previous one. They also carry out donation drives, aimed at nursing homes, and maintain partnerships with like-minded groups such as GuauXela and Meshitas Patitas.

“We have connections with organizations that share our vision: to have a green mindset,” emphasizes de León.

Culture of Recycling: Opportunity or Challenge?

This year, Agreement 164-2021 came into effect, establishing the classification of common waste and refuse. This environmental regulation, proposed years ago, regulates important aspects like the classification, collection, transport, treatment, and final disposal of waste. Before its approval, Guatemala did not have specific regulations for the comprehensive management of waste.

For Sosa, the main problem has been the lack of effective dissemination and application of environmental legislation. “The recycling culture among the Guatemalan population is deplorable,” she states with concern. The visible pollution in streets, forests, and mountains used as landfills, as well as overflowing and unsorted garbage cans, demonstrate the limited environmental awareness and lack of citizen commitment in the face of this crisis.

For Sosa and de León, the economy is a determining factor in pollution. Instilling a lasting recycling culture remains a constant challenge. In the free market, the cheapest products often have a very short lifespan, which causes a large number of items (such as plastic toys made with non-recyclable PVC, costume jewelry, or low-durability electronic equipment) to quickly end up in landfills.

Recycling represents a real opportunity to reduce the large-scale logging of trees destined for cardboard and paper production, as well as to properly manage waste electrical and electronic equipment. Furthermore, it can decrease dependence on mining and the extraction of rare earth elements, activities that pollute water, air, and soil.

“Recycling is a challenging but necessary action,” concludes Sosa. And that change begins when people dare to be more conscious of their consumption, to sort their waste, and to recognize the value of recyclable materials.

Within the Circular Economy

Globally, the United Nations (UN) has warned that humanity generates approximately 2 billion tons of municipal waste each year, of which 45% is inadequately managed. Projections indicate that by 2050 that figure could double, reaching 4 billion tons, which would have serious consequences for both natural resources and the health of the population.

With the aim of raising awareness of this problem and promoting sustainable solutions, the International Day of Zero Waste was celebrated for the first time on March 30, 2023, promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This date aims to guide governments, organizations, and citizens in preventing, reducing, and properly managing waste, fostering social change and promoting the Circular Economy as an alternative development model.

EcoTips Xela’s mission is clear: to recycle materials into the economy and reduce overall environmental impact. The organization also properly manages waste electrical and electronic equipment, ensuring its correct handling and shipment to countries such as China, India, and Japan, where it receives specialized treatment.

“People think that recycling is about money. Without money, there is no recycling, but that’s not what we’re looking for,” emphasizes de León. “We try to raise awareness among people, to get them to do it out of love for the environment. Their recycling will have a much greater impact than money.”
Yuliana Yac Pérez is a journalist & volunteer interested in human rights, linguistics, and cultural issues.