Colombia (CO)
Colombia offers expats an extraordinary combination of year-round spring climate (especially in Medellín), very affordable living, rich culture, improving safety, and one of Latin America's most welcoming visa systems.
Recycling & Waste in Colombia
Bin system, bottle deposits, special disposal, and common mistakes.
Colombia mandates source separation (separación en la fuente) for waste under Decreto 2981 de 2013 and subsequent PGIRS (Planes de Gestión Integral de Residuos Sólidos) in each municipality. In practice, recycling infrastructure varies enormously between cities. Bogotá and Medellín have the most developed systems, including dedicated recycling collection routes (ruta de reciclaje). Colombia has a large informal recycling sector — recicladores de oficio (professional waste pickers) — who collect recyclables from bins and streets. Their work is legally recognised and protected under Constitutional Court rulings. There is no national bottle deposit (retorno) system, though some private schemes exist.
The Bin System
Recyclable Waste Bin
White or light greyCaneca Blanca / Bolsa Blanca (Residuos Aprovechables)
- ✓Clean cardboard and paper (cartón, papel periódico)
- ✓Plastic bottles and containers (PET, HDPE — check recycling numbers 1, 2)
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (vidrio) — without lids
- ✓Metal cans: aluminium, steel (latas de aluminio, hojalata)
- ✓Tetra Pak cartons (clean and flattened)
- ✓Clean plastic bags and wrapping
- ✓Magazines, books, office paper
- ✗Soiled or greasy cardboard (pizza boxes with grease)
- ✗Plastic bags with food residue
- ✗Ceramics, Pyrex glass, mirrors (NOT recyclable glass)
- ✗Styrofoam (icopor/poroplast) — special disposal needed
- ✗Electronic waste (WEEE)
- ✗Hazardous materials
Organic / Food Waste Bin
Green or black bagCaneca Verde / Bolsa Negra (Residuos Orgánicos)
- ✓Food scraps (vegetable peels, fruit waste, leftovers)
- ✓Coffee grounds and filters
- ✓Tea bags
- ✓Eggshells
- ✓Garden waste (small quantities): leaves, grass clippings
- ✓Soiled paper towels and napkins
- ✗Recyclable plastics or metals
- ✗Glass
- ✗Medical or hazardous waste
- ✗Large branches or construction debris
General / Non-recyclable Waste Bin
BlackCaneca Negra / Bolsa Negra (Residuos No Aprovechables)
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics (multilayer packaging, soiled plastic)
- ✓Styrofoam (icopor) food containers
- ✓Personal hygiene products (diapers, sanitary pads)
- ✓Dust and sweeping residue
- ✓Ash
- ✓Broken ceramics (carefully wrapped)
- ✗Hazardous materials (batteries, paint, chemicals)
- ✗Medical waste
- ✗Electrical appliances
- ✗Building rubble (escombros)
No national bottle deposit system exists in Colombia (2026) — Bottle Deposit System
Colombia does not have a national beverage container deposit (sistema de depósito retornable) system. Some private beverage companies (Postobon, Coca-Cola Colombia) operate informal take-back schemes at their plants and some retailers, but this is voluntary and not standardised. PET plastic bottles are collected primarily through the informal reciclador sector.
No official deposit amounts — voluntary take-back where it exists is free (return bottle at point of sale)
At the retail level: some Éxito supermarkets and SURA-affiliated establishments have reverse vending machines (máquinas compactadoras) in pilot programmes in Bogotá and Medellín. Otherwise: place clean PET/glass/aluminium in the white recyclable bin — recicladores will collect them.
Special Disposal
Puntos de Recolección RAEE: major retailers (Éxito, Alkosto, Falabella) have collection points for phones, batteries, and small appliances. Manufacturers: Samsung, Apple, Huawei have return programmes. Bogotá: ecoRaee (ecoraee.com). Medellín: EPM and Ruta N RAEE collection events. Never place in regular bins — RAEE contains toxic materials.
Decreto 284 de 2018 mandates RAEE management. Manufacturers must operate take-back schemes for their products.
Collection boxes at supermarkets (Éxito, D1, Jumbo), pharmacies (Drogas La Rebaja, Farmatodo), and hardware stores. Programa Pilas con el Ambiente (pilasconelambiente.com) — national battery take-back scheme.
AA, AAA, 9V, button batteries all accepted. Never place batteries in regular waste — they leach mercury and cadmium.
Punto Azul Farmacias — pharmacies in Bogotá and Medellín have pharmaceutical take-back bins. Programme operated by the Asociación de Industrias Farmacéuticas Colombianas (ASINFAR). Bring expired or unused medicines to any participating pharmacy.
Never flush medicines down the toilet — they contaminate groundwater. Colombia's pharmaceutical waste system (RESPEL) covers this category.
Ecopetrol and private waste oil collectors in major cities. Programmes: Aceite que te cuida (Bogotá UAESP), Ecoaceite (Medellín). Some Carulla and Éxito supermarkets have collection points.
Used cooking oil clogs drains and causes sewage problems — always collect and dispose at collection points. Can be converted to biodiesel.
Puntos Limpios operated by municipalities. Bogotá: UAESP Puntos Limpios — consult www.uaesp.gov.co for locations. Medellín: EPM Puntos de Reciclaje. Accept: paint, solvents, cleaning chemicals, pesticides, fluorescent bulbs.
Decree 1076 de 2015 covers RESPEL management. Contact your local Secretaría de Ambiente for hazardous waste drop-off schedules.
Designated PMRCD (Puntos de Recolección de Residuos de Construcción y Demolición). Contact local Secretaría de Planeación or use private escombrera services. Never dump in streets, parks, or rivers — multas (fines) apply.
Illegal dumping of escombros is common but increasingly fined. Bogotá: report via app Bogotá Te Escucha.
Bulk Waste
Residuos voluminosos (bulk waste — furniture, mattresses, appliances): contact your local PGIRS operator for scheduled pickup. In Bogotá: UAESP (uaesp.gov.co) offers large item collection — request via app or web. In Medellín: EPM / EMVARIAS special collections. Many building administrators (administraciones de conjuntos) schedule monthly bulk collection days. Alternatively: donate to Dios te Ve, Cruz Roja Colombia, or sell on MercadoLibre/OLX.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ! Mixing recyclables with organic waste — contamination renders recyclables unusable and sends them to landfill
- ! Throwing glass in the organic or black bin — glass belongs in the white recyclable bin; broken glass should be wrapped and labelled
- ! Not rinsing recyclables — clean bottles, cans, and Tetra Pak before placing in white bin; dirty materials are rejected
- ! Placing styrofoam (icopor) in the recyclable bin — icopor is generally not recyclable in Colombia's current system; goes in the black general waste bin
- ! Throwing batteries or electronics in household bins — legally and environmentally unacceptable; use RAEE/pila collection points
- ! Leaving bags on the street too early — collection schedules vary by barrio; placing bags outside hours attracts strays and is fined
- ! Not knowing your collection day — ask your portero (building doorman) or building administration for the barrio waste collection schedule
Fines & Enforcement
Fines for illegal waste disposal in Colombia: Código Nacional de Policía (Ley 1801 de 2016) and Decreto 2981 de 2013. Illegal dumping in public spaces: COP $200,000–800,000. Dumping escombros in unauthorised locations: COP $500,000–3,000,000. Mixing hazardous with regular waste: COP $1,000,000–5,000,000. Fines are issued by Policía Ambiental and Secretarías de Ambiente. Reporting: use the local Línea Verde or Bogotá Illegal Dumping Line (Línea 195 Bogotá) or equivalent city app.
Practical Tips
- → Ask your portero (building doorman) which days the reciclador comes — giving recyclables directly to recicladores supports their livelihood and ensures better sorting
- → Set up a simple two-bin system at home: white bag for clean recyclables, black bag for everything else. Add a glass container separately
- → Reutilizar (reuse): Colombians have a strong culture of repurposing — donate unwanted items to Dios te Ve, Cruz Roja, or Facebook Marketplace Colombia rather than throwing away
- → Buy at markets (plazas de mercado): produce markets generate far less packaging waste than supermarkets — and are significantly cheaper and fresher
- → Colombian consciousness about recycling is improving rapidly among younger urban populations — your barrio WhatsApp group likely has recycling tips and reciclador schedules