We start from Anthropology and Environmental History, allowing us to analyze the different dimensions of the recycling process. Establishing a relationship with the social actors involved, to investigate what was happening in that recycling labor market in the city of Las Piedras, Uruguay and Porto Alegre, Brazil. The ethnographic data comes from interviews with different actors that make up the plastic recycling chain, in both cities, making visible different dimensions of the process. This work is based on the discourse of social actors who relate to the issue of recycling from their different locations, to contribute to the understanding of the sociocultural, economic and environmental dynamics of the issue, which takes us back to the Anthropocene. Contributing with this work to create a solid foundation in environmental issues related to recycling processes.