Community Collection and Recycling of HDPE and PP in Buenos Aires, Argentina (PPRS)

In Argentina, the vast majority of post-consumer plastic remains outside the formal recycling system, ending up in open dumps, landfills, or dispersed across urban and peri-urban environments. Limited recycling infrastructure and a lack of economic incentives hinder material recovery. This project reduces plastic leakage by financing traceable collection and recycling, preventing long-term environmental accumulation.

Post-consumer plastic wastes, such as films, plastic bags, flexible packaging, and rigid containers, are collected by waste pickers or through community collection points. The plastic wastes collected are then cleaned and sorted by plastic type, specifically HDPE and PP, in preparation for transport by independent operators to the recycling facility located in Ensenada, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Upon arrival of clean and sorted plastic wastes, the facility further sorts the  plastic wastes, which is then washed to remove contaminants. The material is then shredded, melted, extruded, and pelletized to produce recycled HDPE and PP pellets that are reintroduced into industrial supply chains, supporting a circular plastic production. The recycled pellets can be used again in manufacturing plastic packaging, bags, and films, and can also be blended with virgin plastic to create new products.

The facility is owned and operated by the project partner which allows full traceability from the collection of the waste material to the final recycled pellets. The recovered and processed volumes are verified under a plastic standard through traceability systems and third-party audits.

Revenue from plastic credit sales enables the recovery of materials that, due to economic barriers, would otherwise remain outside the formal recycling system. These revenues are directly reinvested to strengthen recovery and recycling infrastructure. Specifically, they support:

• Strengthening the recovery network by improving working conditions for waste pickers and recyclers
• Increasing the volume of plastic collected that would otherwise remain outside the recycling system
• Expanding and improving the operational capacity of the recycling facility
• Enhancing traceability and monitoring systems for recovered materials
• Reducing the economic gap between recycled and virgin plastic, enabling the recovery and recycling of materials that would otherwise be discarded The project’s objective is to scale circular infrastructure and expand the real capacity for plastic recovery.