CBC AND AMIGOS DEL LAGO OFFICIALLY PRESENT THE INTEGRAL MARKETING COOPERATIVE ATITLÁN RECICLA

THE AMIGOS DEL LAGO DE ATITLÁN ASSOCIATION (AALA), CBC AND SOCIAL CAPITAL FOUNDATION -SCF- OFFICIALLY PRESENT THE INTEGRAL COMMERCIALIZATION COOPERATIVE ATITLÁN RECICLA, LIMITED LIABILITY -ATITLÁN RECICLA, R.L.-

Atitlán Recicla, is a project that arose in 2017 as an initiative of the Friends of Lake Atitlán Association -AALA- and CBC, with a social and environmental focus that aims to help the rescue of Lake Atitlán. For its part, the Friends of Lake Atitlán Association has been in charge of the execution, while CBC, in conjunction with the Social Capital Foundation -SCF-, have provided financial support.

This project has benefited indigenous women who are leaders of their communities in the generation of economic income through: collection, management and treatment of recyclable waste, which is disposed of with recycling companies for their transformation; thus incorporating them into a new life cycle and generating a circular economy, in conjunction with environmental awareness and waste education activities.

Thanks to its success, 13 municipalities of the department, 4 villages and a community are currently served, which are divided by management zones. There are 10 collection centers for recyclable waste and 6 municipal collection centers in which 27 groups of women collaborate, with more than 965 beneficiaries. Thanks to the support and commitment shown by the participants of this initiative, Atitlán Recicla takes an important step in its history.

“Today, after hard work and dedication, we announce with great happiness that the Atitlán Recicla Project officially becomes the first cooperative of women recyclers in Guatemala:” Cooperativa Integral de Comercialización Atitlán Recicla, Responsabilidad Limitada -Atitlán Recicla, RL “, as well as the composition of its board of directors,” says Darlyn Salguero, Coordinator of the Atitlán Recicla Project.

From 2018 to date, 745 metric tons of recyclable waste have been evacuated, preventing them from contaminating the basin and generating, at the same time, economic income for the groups of women involved in the project, promoting a culture of recycling and empowering women to be agents of change in their communities.

“As part of our vision of contributing to the construction of a better world, in 2017 we signed an alliance with the Friends of Lake Atitlán Association, with the aim of promoting sustainable development in the Lake Atitlán basin, focusing on caring of the environment and the empowerment of women. Today we celebrate the beginning of a new stage with this new cooperative led by a group of women who are changing the history of their communities with their actions ”, says Rosa María de Frade, director of corporate affairs at CBC.