Apoyo social frente a la situación de vulnerabilidad de los recicladores primarios carnetizados de la Empresa Pública Municipal de Aseo de Cuenca durante el período 2021

Abstract

Over the years, the informal recycling of solid waste has implied many conditions of vulnerability, for those who work in this activity, reflected in precarious economic income, conflictive relationships with peers, insecurity, and, in general, conditions that lead to the exploitation and marginalization of this population. Faced with these realities, the objective of the present research work is to explore how social support influences on the situation of vulnerability in the case of 7 primary informal recyclers registered to Empresa Pública Municipal de Aseo de Cuenca (EMAC-EP) on the 2021 period. For this purpose, this qualitative research used a review of primary sources, participant observation and a semi-structured interview with a study group of 7 primary informal recyclers certified by EMAC-EP and belonged to a recycling association for more than one year, and who had no other source of incomes. The results obtained reveal the constant exposure of informal recyclers to risks to their integrity, given the precarious conditions in which they carry out their work, and that some participants perceive inaction and lack of protection on the part of the responsible control agencies. Hence, the public policies implemented in this sector are based on a predominantly economic perspective, due to this doesn’t focus on the people' necessities, but rather on how productive they can be. Finally, family is the main source of support and that, in some cases, so are the waste recyclers' associations, which promote cohesion and organization. From this, it can be concluded that perceived social support to the socioemotional well-being of informal recyclers, and allows them to confront their situation of vulnerability, although it does not imply a minimization of their vulnerability.