Análisis de los impactos territoriales en la población de recicladores de oficio provocados por la reubicación de estaciones de clasificación y aprovechamiento ubicadas en la localidad de Bosa

Abstract

This undergraduate thesis analyzes the territorial impacts generated by the relocation of the Classification and Recovery Stations (ECAs) in the locality of Bosa, Bogotá, with an emphasis on the social, economic, and environmental consequences that this decision has brought for the population of informal recyclers.

As a result of the implementation of the new Land Use Plan “Bogotá Reverdece 2022–2035”, many ECAs lost compatibility with the newly defined land-use regulations, forcing them to cease operations or move to new areas that meet technical and regulatory requirements.

Through a mixed methodology that included documentary review, regulatory analysis, the application of 85 surveys to recyclers, and interviews with institutional actors such as the Unidad Administrativa Especial de Servicios Públicos (UAESP), it was found that the relocation has generated a series of substantial impacts: loss of employment, increased transportation costs, decreased household income, and the weakening of the recyclers’ organizational networks.

In addition, persistent issues such as informality, low participation in decision-making processes, and limited state presence during the transition were identified. The results also show that, although there are regulatory efforts by the district and national governments to manage the relocation—such as Decrees 203 of 2022 and 1381 of 2024—these measures have not been sufficient to mitigate the negative impacts on a population that has historically been marginalized from the formal waste management system.

Finally, the study proposes comprehensive alternatives for impact mitigation, including the creation of dialogue spaces between recyclers and public entities, social inclusion strategies with a gender perspective, strengthening of the organizational capacities of the ECAs, and improvements in formalization processes.

It concludes that urban sustainability cannot be separated from social justice, and that any transformation in waste management infrastructure must take into account the territorial and human context that gives it life.