In the bustling city of Bogotá, Colombia, a unique social media sensation is redefining the approach to recycling. Sara Samaniego, widely recognized as Marce the Recycler, has carved out a niche for herself as Latin America's first recycling influencer. With a vibrant persona characterized by her bright blue jumpsuit and braided hair, Samaniego creates engaging content that resonates with a growing audience across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
On a typical day, you can find Samaniego in a sprawling warehouse stacked with recyclable materials, filming energetic videos where she combines education and entertainment. Dressed in her signature outfit, she often lip-syncs to catchy rap songs, drawing in viewers and inspiring them to adopt better waste separation practices.
Her initiatives not only focus on educating her vast following—numbering in the hundreds of thousands—but also serve to shine a light on the often-neglected community of informal recyclers in Bogotá. These individuals, numbering around 26,000 according to the city’s public utilities authority, play an essential role in managing the city's waste, often without support from regular government services.
By merging sustainable living with popular culture, Samaniego has developed a loyal fan base that eagerly participates in her recycling challenges and engages in discussions surrounding waste management. Her efforts are making recycling a fashionable and socially conscious choice, significantly impacting attitudes toward sustainability in Colombia. Through her engaging content, Marce the Recycler has become a powerful voice for environmental advocacy, one video at a time.
