02 CARDBOARD CARTEL: Finance & Waste Management

Strategy // Research // Spatial

This project addresses a pressing issue about waste waste management. It is always thought that the way to the ,most efficient waste management is if the waste is recycled. however, our investigation has uncovered that the recycling system isn't the noble endeavour it is made out it be. it is riddle with scandal, deceit and lots of illegal activity.

During our investigation we have especially tracked the recycling of cardboard which has spawned the enterprise of a huge cardboard cartel, frauding hundreds and millions of euros from cities. Cardboard is not seen as a precious material therefore there isn't a lot of investment into accountability and traceability in terms of strict documentation or regulation. This akes it an easy target for illegal tampering at any scale.



The process of recycling cardboard involves many entities. At the smallest scale we have the cartoneros who dumpster dive, in the next there are  large recycling and waste management companies who have illegally conspired together to make agreements involving many government contracts. Furthermore, more than half the cardboard collected isn't even recycled in Spain. It is instead shipped to other countries in Asia where the labour cost is extremly cheap.


Centralisation

The entire system has many levels of heirachy, entities involved and also spans through many countries. What we we propose is to centralise and simplify the entire process so that the cardboard is accounted for and recycled properly. We would cut out the middle men and directly work with Madrid city council as the sole company involved in recycling of the cardboard of Madrid.


Location: Madrid - Usera - Parque Pradolongo



Due to the Amazon effect where most of the cardboard being consumed is actually by residences rather than commercial areas it is necessary to bring waste management to the public space for discussion. We propose to place our facility in the middle of city, in the public parque de Pradalongo, where the system is accessible to anyone that would like to see the cardboard being processed.



Transparency

Taking the ideology of transparency includes a scafolding like structure that extends above the ground through out the park carrying the processes within tubes.

These scafolded arms extend through out the park to activate certain areas. Our facilities endeavours to simultaneously recycle the cardboard whilst rejuvinating the parks baren landscape and social program.


Pneumatic System
We decided to incorporate a collection center where the cartoneros can continue to give us cardboard. In our investigation we found that the prosecution of the cartoneros compared to the damage of larger scale illegal trade was unfair. The dumpster diving of cartoneros are in fact helping the waste management industry. They are correctly separating and classifying the cardboard for the recuperadoras and recyclados, getting rid of the contaminated cardboards.




Water Circulation
The water circulation system allows water from the pond to connect to the hydro-pulper. The contaminated water then exits through the tubes to the water treatment tanks. The water that is treated is then fed to the irrigation system of the botanical garden to bring back greenary to the park and refurbish it.




It is hoped that eventually the culture of waste segregation will evolve once people are aware of the process and therefore the amount of contaminated cardboard would decrease with the completion of the walkways.


This facility plays with the relations between the public space, public council and private company existing in coorporation within a transparent waste management system.

Year: 2020
Project Collaborator: Monica Pastor Mayo