Innovation

The central innovation of this model is ReciApp, a technological tool that revolutionizes inclusive recycling. This platform allows citizens to deliver waste (PET, glass, cardboard) directly to a grassroots recycler, who is identified in real time through geolocation.

According to Lorena Gallardo, the core of the project is human connection: they discovered that citizens are more motivated by the opportunity to directly help a person than by the abstract environmental cause. To encourage this participation, ReciApp integrates a system of rewards and incentives that motivates users to be more proactive in separating and delivering their waste.

Beyond the benefits for citizens, the app acts as a driver of development for grassroots recyclers:

• Resource management: It allows them to obtain the materials they need to carry out their work efficiently and achieve their business goals.

• Healthy competition: The system includes recognition and awards that encourage continuous improvement and professionalism among workers.

• Visibility and recognition: ReciApp gives recyclers a face and an identity, giving them the place they deserve within the recycling value chain.

Inspiration

RECIVECI was founded in 2015 as a genuine response to the need to make the work of grassroots women recyclers visible and to positively impact the environment. What began as a neighborhood initiative driven by 20 volunteers faced the typical challenges of projects based solely on solidarity. Without remuneration or a formal business structure, participation depended on volunteers’ spare time, making consistency and growth difficult.

The true transformation occurred when the three current pillars of RECIVECI recognized the latent potential of this support network. Their vision enabled the project to evolve from sporadic aid into a functional, sustainable, and paid work model.

This evolution was marked by key milestones:

• Gender Focus: The decision to focus on women emerged from recognizing that 70% of grassroots waste pickers in Ecuador are women, according to the National Network of Recyclers of Ecuador and UN Ecuador studies. In highland cities such as Cuenca, this figure reaches up to 78%, according to research by the University of Cuenca. The model was designed with women in mind, respecting the flexible schedules required to balance work and family care. Approximately 90% of these women lack access to social security, and their average monthly income is around USD 218, well below the national minimum wage.
• Technological Scalability: Recognizing that manual management was unsustainable in the long term, the team embraced technology.
• Crisis Adaptation: The launch and consolidation of ReciApp responded not only to digital transformation but also to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador, enabling recycling to continue safely and in an organized manner.

Today, ReciVeci’s inspiration lies in transforming a goodwill gesture into a technological tool that dignifies lives and modernizes waste management in Ecuador. The ultimate goal is to lead Ecuador’s transition from a linear economy to a circular one.

To achieve this, the organization works to raise awareness about waste responsibility, promoting circular recycling: a model that encourages rethinking products even before manufacturing, planning what will happen to them at the end of their useful life so they never become waste, but rather new resources.

Overall impact

The model generates triple impact:

Social Impact:

ReciVeci formalizes grassroots waste pickers, transforming their work into a professional and recognized environmental service. Through ReciApp, waste pickers receive clean and pre-sorted materials directly from households, significantly optimizing their work. Studies in cities such as Cuenca show that waste pickers walk between 5 and 17 kilometers per day, working more than 7 hours. With this model, labor conditions improve by reducing distances and time spent searching for materials.

Waste pickers report an average 30–40% increase in monthly income by receiving higher-quality materials under more dignified conditions. Additionally, the platform raises citizen awareness and promotes active recycling through rewards, strengthening the bond between communities and waste pickers. According to the 2022 INEC Census, 64% of Ecuadorians engage in some form of environmental practice, with waste separation being the most common, highlighting the platform’s adoption potential.

Environmental Impact: 

The recovery of tons of recyclable materials reduces pollution in cities such as Quito, which generates more than 2,200 tons of waste daily, and Guayaquil. In Ecuador, grassroots waste pickers recover between 50% and 85% of the material entering the recycling industry, significantly contributing to CO₂ emissions reduction. This effort supports the transition to circular recycling by educating citizens on waste management to prevent disposal in landfills and reintegrate materials into productive cycles.

Business Impact:

The model generates significant cost savings for corporate partners. It supports the transition to a circular economy by enabling companies to efficiently manage resources and plan the end-of-life of their products.

Business benefit

RECIVECI demonstrates that sustainability is not only an ethical commitment but also a profitable and efficient business model through a robust B2B service offering. The success of this model lies in companies financing operations, allowing the technological tool to be completely free for citizens and democratizing access to inclusive recycling.

This value proposition for the corporate sector is built on three strategic pillars:

• Traceability and Regulatory Compliance: Through ReciApp, companies obtain real, verifiable data on waste recovery, enabling compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and transparent ESG reporting. In 2024, Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment conducted 82 technical inspections of producers subject to EPR regulations.
• Supply Chain Optimization: Through differentiated collection and container return, corporations achieve efficient resource management. Companies such as Cervecería Nacional, which maintains 81% of its sales in returnable packaging (bottles reusable up to 40 times), have successfully partnered with RECIVECI to recover recyclable materials.
• Strategic Circular Economy Consulting: RECIVECI acts as a consulting partner, helping companies redesign their relationship with waste. Ecuador has set a target of achieving a 45% plastic circularity rate by 2040, according to the 2024 Plastics Action Roadmap.

Social and environmental benefit

ReciVeci’s innovation acts as a catalyst for change, directly addressing reduced inequalities (SDG 10) and climate action (SDG 13), creating an ecosystem where social justice and planetary health converge.

Social Benefit: Justice and Dignification

By formalizing the work of grassroots waste pickers, the stigma associated with “waste” is broken, transforming the occupation into a recognized professional environmental service. This process ensures economic autonomy and empowerment for women, who represent 70% of the sector and up to 78% in highland cities.

The impact on well-being is tangible and measurable: participants report a 30–40% increase in monthly income, rising from approximately USD 218 to USD 290–305. Beyond income, the model significantly improves occupational safety conditions. Waste pickers receive training in safe material handling, personal protective equipment, and reduce exposure to risks by no longer scavenging in containers or landfills. RECIVECI also works to facilitate access to social security and healthcare for formalized waste pickers, a fundamental step toward fully dignifying the profession.

Environmental Benefit: Resilience and Circularity

The impact translates into a substantial reduction in pollution by diverting tons of materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. In Cuenca alone, 1,285.22 tons of recyclable materials were recovered, preventing the emission of 7,519 tons of CO₂ equivalent.

Interview

Lorena Gallardo, Co-founder