CITY, VOL. 10, NO. 2, JULY 2006 Neo-liberal reform and urban space The cartoneros of Buenos Aires, 2001–20051 Themis Chronopoulos Taylor and Francis Ltd In Argentina, cartoneros are poor people who collect and sell paper products and other recyclables in order to survive. The appearance of cartoneros in high profile urban public spaces in search of recyclables has been one of the most visible and lasting effects of the 2001–2002 economic crisis of Argentina. This essay examines the origins of cartoneros in Buenos Aires and Gran Buenos Aires, their relationship with the state, and the formaliza- tion of their gathering activities by the authorities and the recycling industry. ach morning an extraordinary known as cartoneros because they collect amount of activity occurs in a villa primarily paper products from trash bags Emiseria 2 located right next to the and garbage containers placed on the street railroad tracks of Línea San Martín, on the by middle and upper class residents (or boundary of Villa Del Parque and La their workers). However, they also seek Paternal3 in western Buenos Aires (Figures materials that are less abundant, including 1 and 2). The residents of this community glass, metal, cardboard, tins, plastic and spend most of the morning hours separat- wood (Anguita, 2003).4 ing recyclable materials that they have Figure 12 WorkAnotherThe by viewcartoneros of the samein the community, villapresence miseria June alongside 2005. LíneaPhotograph: San Martín, Themis June Chronopoulos. 2005.of Photograph: Themiscartoneros Chronopoulos. is one of the gathered the evening before. They package most visible and lasting effects of the 2001– them as neatly as possible so that they can 2002 economic crisis of Argentina. Although sell them. In Argentina, these people are people have collected and sold recyclables in Figure 1 Work by cartoneros in the villa miseria alongside Línea San Martín, June 2005. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. ISSN 1360-4813 print/ISSN 1470-3629 online/06/020167-16 © 2006 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/13604810600736651 168 CITY VOL. 10, NO. 2 Figure 2 Another view of the same community, June 2005. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. Buenos Aires and Gran Buenos Aires for pay 3.50 pesos per kilogramme for alumin- many years, in 2001–2002 their population ium and 8.50 pesos per kilogramme for exploded, their gathering activities became copper. The average cartonero earns about more regular, and their penetration into 350–600 pesos each month, just enough for middle and upper class neighbourhoods their family to survive. It is estimated that became more complete (Figures 3–6).5 The more than 100,000 people in Buenos Aires main reason for this change was the inability and Gran Buenos Aires depend on the gath- of a sizable portion of the population to find ering of recyclables to support their families6 other sources of income. Almost equally (Reynals, 2002, p. 3). important was the devaluation of the peso in Figurefamous 3465footballPalermo,CartoneroCartoneraCartonerasThe player) an in inaffluentis Recoleta, Barriofrom. neighbourhoodVilla Norte, anJuneexistence affluentFiorito 2005.an affluent is neighbourhoodPhotograph: ain neighbourhood Buenos neighbourhood Aires,Themis of northernlocatedJune Chronopoulos.in 2005.northern in Buenos the Photograph: southernBuenos Aires, of Aires,zoneJune Themis 2005.of June Gran Chronopoulos. cartonerosPhotograph:2005. Buenos When Aires. Themisasked Photograph where Chronopoulos. they: Themis were from, Chronopoulos. these women in proudly announced Buenos from Villa Fiorito, where Diego MaradonaAires (Argentina’s most 2002, which made imported paper and plastic depends on a complex arrangement of social products too expensive; at that point, Argen- relations that has come about after decades of tine corporations found it cheaper to economic decline and neo-liberal policies. It produce many of those products domesti- depends on the following elements: a formal cally and to increase recycling, making the labour market unable to absorb a substantial gathering of recyclables much more profit- number of people who have no choice but to able (Schamber, 2004). For example, a recy- join the informal ecoomy; a sizable middle cling vendor in Barrio San Alberto, a low- and upper class with a great capacity for income neighbourhood located about 20 consumption that does not consider the sale kilometres west from the city border, pays of recyclables worthwhile; a population that cartoneros prices ranging from 7 centavos per tolerates, at least to some degree, the prolifer- kilogramme for newsprint and other low- ation of people recovering recyclables; a quality paper to 40 centavos per kilogramme municipal government that is willing to for high-quality white office paper. They also accommodate cartoneros; and entities that CHRONOPOULOS: NEO-LIBERAL REFORM AND URBAN SPACE 169 Figure 3 Palermo, an affluent neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, June 2005. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. Figure 4 Cartonero in Recoleta, an affluent neighbourhood of northern Buenos Aires, June 2005. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. 170 CITY VOL. 10, NO. 2 Figure 5 Cartoneras in Barrio Norte, an affluent neighbourhood in northern Buenos Aires, June 2005. When asked where they were from, these women proudly announced from Villa Fiorito, where Diego Maradona (Argentina’s most famous football player) is from. Villa Fiorito is a neighbourhood located in the southern zone of Gran Buenos Aires. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. Figure 6 Cartonera in Recoleta, June 2005. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. CHRONOPOULOS: NEO-LIBERAL REFORM AND URBAN SPACE 171 buy recyclables from cartoneros and sell them this law did not, however, prevent informal to large corporations, which turn them into recycling from becoming a major issue in the raw materials and sell them to factories at mayoral election of 2003. Candidates from the home and abroad. right rejected the recognition of cartoneros The residents of entire communities in outright and advocated their removal from the Gran Buenos Aires are either unemployed or streets. Although none of these candidates underemployed, and recovering recyclables prevailed in that election, this debate signalled from the trash is one of their main sources of the precarious situation in which cartoneros income. In Barrio San Alberto, the most could eventually find themselves. thriving business seems to be the place where cartoneros go to sell what they have gathered. In September 2004, that business looked The origins of cartoneros much more modest than it did 10 months later (Figures 7–9). In fact, business is so The residents of the villa miseria alongside good that a competing recyclable buyer has Línea San Martín are primarily people who opened a few blocks away (Figure 10). were displaced from the formal economy due Figure 78910 RecyclingTheCompeting sameinside recycling businessof recycling the recycling inbusiness Barriooutletproliferation business ainSan few San Alberto, blocks Albertoin San awayLa Alberto, a Matanza,few from months June the located 2005.larger later, inPhotograph:recyclingJune the 2005.west business zone Walls, Themis of ainGran gate,Chronopoulos. San Buenos andAlberto, of the Aires, beginnings June September2005.thousands of Photograph: a roof 2004. are Cartoneros visib Themisle. Photograph: C hronopoulos.bring their Themis recyclables Chronopoulos. to this of place and sellcartoneros them. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. to neo-liberal reforms in the 1990s. In the early in the streets of middle and upper class neigh- 1990s, most of the residents of the villa miseria bourhoods of the Federal Capital has spear- had lived in neighbourhoods across Gran headed debates over the use and definition of Buenos Aires. Many held regular jobs in public public space. Until 2003, their gathering activ- companies, such as the railroad, the water ity had been illegal.7 That year, a new law company or the telephone company. Others recognized informal recycling. The passage of had held jobs in construction, small manufac- Figure 7 Recycling business in Barrio San Alberto, La Matanza, located in the west zone of Gran Buenos Aires, September 2004. Cartoneros bring their recyclables to this place and sell them. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. 172 CITY VOL. 10, NO. 2 Figure 8 The same recycling business in San Alberto a few months later, June 2005. Walls, a gate, and the beginnings of a roof are visible. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. Figure 9 The inside of the recycling business in San Alberto, June 2005. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. CHRONOPOULOS: NEO-LIBERAL REFORM AND URBAN SPACE 173 Figure 10 Competing recycling outlet a few blocks away from the larger recycling business in San Alberto, June 2005. Photograph: Themis Chronopoulos. turing outlets and factories. However, the began to roam the streets seeking valuables in presidency of Carlos Menem (1989–1999) the trash (Opinión, 2002a). Even though the marked a complete neo-liberal transforma- majority of former public sector employees tion, including the rapid and almost complete did not become cartoneros, their loss of privatization of state companies, unrestricted income, and the economic reverberations felt financial opening to international markets, and by their families and their communities, pegging of the Argentine peso with the US caused many to resort to recycling. dollar on a 1-to-1 basis. These reforms resulted The opening of Argentina’s market in unemployment or irregular employment, attracted investment from foreign