Etnografía de los recicladores en Cuenca: socioeconomía e inclusión laboral

Abstract

In today's world there is a very marked consumerist dynamic where waste is generated on a worrying scale. Thus, recycling has become the standard for a sustainable world. However, the main managers of this process, the recyclers, go through realities that are often invisible and very complex. However, many others have also managed to get ahead or appease their needs through recycling. In this sense, this work contains three cross-cutting points that allowed: First, to give context through an overview describing the stages and spaces of recycling, as well as concepts related to the process and the study of the recycler. Second, to enter the national and local context, as well as to explain the methodology of the study. Third, to describe and interpret the data obtained in the field, so that a broad perspective of the socioeconomic situation of recyclers in Cuenca was obtained. From this perspective, the recycler in Cuenca is the central axis of this study, as well as his or her socioeconomic condition, which was collected through the INEC's Socioeconomic Stratification Survey with which it was possible to elaborate strata ranging from the lowest (D) to the second highest (B). In addition, an ethnographic approach was made by applying semistructured interviews, from which it was possible to describe the market and the forms of labor organization. From this, the reflections on their lives and jobs were traced, which originated a qualitative analysis from socioeconomics, inclusive recycling and other concepts.