José Echavarría
“I get up every day at 3am to be in downtown at 4:30am. My wooden cart that I use to work I store in a nearby parking lot.
First thing in the morning I get my cart and start pushing it uphill.
The recycling route goes uphill first and at the end of the day I walk downhill to the recycling centre where they pay me for the collected material based on its weight. I get back down around 12pm.
There are good and bad weeks for us recyclers. On good days I can make up to 20 dollars, on bad days 2 or less. There is no consistency in this life, but I have an obligation towards my family. I am the head of my family.
This year I’ve been recycling for 50 years, started when I was 15, I am now 65.”
José Echavarría,
Recycler, 65 years old, Medellín.
