Toward a Circular Economy: The “More than Recycling” Program in La Paz Transforms into a Total Sustainability Strategy in 2026

What began as a trash collection initiative has consolidated this March 2026 as the backbone of urban environmental management: the “More than Recycling” (Más que Reciclar) program by the La Paz City Council. Municipal authorities have announced a significant expansion that transcends simple plastic and cardboard collection. The focus is now on the circular economy, seeking to reintegrate materials into local productive chains and drastically reduce the volume of waste reaching the saturated landfill.

From thermodynamics and industrial ecology perspectives, recycling is a process of reducing the entropy of the urban system. The efficiency of a material recovery program is defined by the mass of recovered material compared to the total mass of generated waste.

In 2026, the success of the program lies in decentralization. The City Council has facilitated differentiated collection routes for small and medium-sized enterprises, allowing the commercial sector to join the "Zero Waste" goal.

In conclusion, La Paz residents are recommended to consult the interactive map of collection centers on the City Council's official website and separate their waste at the source. For the remainder of 2026, the inauguration of the first Municipal Waste Valorization Plant with cutting-edge technology is expected.