Demystifying Mexico’s Recycling Process: Ecolana

Q: What market needs led to the creation of Ecolana? 

A: Ecolana came from the goal to create a “yellow pages” book for collection centers. We received the support of Fundación Pro Empleo, which is funded by many large companies like Coca-Cola, Diageo, Bimbo. While we initially tried to work with recycling centers, they were uninterested because they operated mainly in the informal sector. After reading an article about Tetrapack, we contacted them to pitch our solution, and the company was very receptive. That is when we realized that companies were interested in what we were doing. 

Q: What are the most common challenges companies face in their recycling efforts, and how does Ecolana help them overcome these challenges?

A: Some companies are highly advanced in their recycling efforts, and have a strong understanding of the recycling chain. But many more lack this knowledge. These latter companies are just beginning to understand how waste works in Mexico, especially compared to other countries. The biggest challenge for them is the informality of Mexico’s recycling process, which complicates working with trash collectors and collection centers. 

This is where Ecolana comes in, because we have built the largest database of collection centers nationwide, so we understand what they are doing and how they do it, what they recycle and what they do not. We can demonstrate to companies the value of forming relationships with the informal sector. 

Q: What changes are you seeing in the recycling landscape, and what role does Ecolana play in its transformation?

A: Thanks to Ecolana people can now easily find collection centers. When we started Ecolana, those who wanted to recycle something had to search for a recycling center on different websites, and many of them contained outdated information. They also had to visit different places to recycle different materials. Ecolana centralized that information into a map that allows users to easily find where to recycle each material. We have also worked to destigmatize collection centers, which are often closer to where people live.

Q: What differentiates Ecolana’s consulting services from those of larger consulting firms?

A: Our consulting services focus only on recycling and waste; we do not get involved in water or carbon footprints. We have expertise on Mexico’s entire recycling infrastructure. We have a vast database and can answer recycling questions in just a few seconds. This rapid access to information sets us apart from other consulting firms. We are just a phone call away, and our methodology is practical, inexpensive, and immediately implementable. 

Q: How has Ecolana convinced brands like Bimbo, Amazon, and Nestlé to join this movement? 

A: We bring actionable solutions. In contrast, other consulting firms offer schemes that, in an ideal world, are great, but are impossible to implement at the moment. The question should be: how can we implement recycling practices immediately? These policies should not generate high logistics or production costs, while yielding real results in the short, medium, and long term. We help companies understand what is possible, and illustrate the benefits of making small, concrete achievements.

Q: What have been some of the challenges in getting consumers to change their purchasing and waste management habits?

A: There have been many challenges, but changing the mindsets of our application users has been the most difficult. Mexico’s collection system makes it difficult to convince users that they are truly making a contribution. Many believe that even if they separate their waste, garbage trucks mix it up again. But some municipalities have dedicated sorting plants. Sometimes there is another sorting process at the dump or landfill. Nevertheless, people still see the entire process as a complicated mess, so many do not want to do anything. 

For that reason, we offer several recycling incentives, like Ecolanitas, an in-app currency that can be used to win concert tickets and gift cards. This solution has proven useful. People compete over concert tickets, recycling more to earn more Ecolanitas, and rising in the app’s rankings. The first place holder in our Bimbo campaign has recycled 75kg of waste, and the second place holder has recycled 36kg. Each campaign has its own ranking and its own prizes. 

We also listen to our user’s needs and wants, and work carefully to avoid greenwashing.

Q: How will Ecolana continue expanding in the domestic market? 

A: The goal is to reach 1 million users, which would allow us to change Mexico’s recycling ecosystem. We run a yearly campaign with P&G, Nestlé, and Walmart. The first year we collected 10 t, the second 18 t, and this year we reached 60t. 

We would also like to implement AI. We have a feature that allows users to scan barcodes, and it will tell them where to recycle the product. However, each product has to be validated manually, and we have around 16,000 products in our database, so that slows us down. We have a similar dynamic with purchase receipts, but still have to validate each receipt manually. As we gain more users, we will either need more people validating manually, or we will need to introduce AI to identify the type of waste. 

Another priority for Ecolana is to integrate more waste into the recycling chain. We have a 60% recycling rate for PETT, but there are more than seven types of plastic in Mexico for which there is no recycling market. Our goal is to help develop recycling processes for more and more waste, and to work with collection centers and recyclers to have them accepted.