María Isabel Roca

Peruvian environmental scientist revolutionizing waste management through circular economy innovations

María Isabel Roca (b. 1982) has transformed Peru's waste management landscape through her company EcoCycle, which converts 90% of Lima's organic waste into biogas and compost. Her closed-loop systems have diverted over 250,000 tons of waste from landfills since 2010, providing 30% of the city's public transportation biofuel needs.

As a materials engineer, Roca developed a patented microbial digestion process that accelerates decomposition by 40%, operationalized through her Sustainable Innovations Lab. This technology reduces methane emissions by 80% compared to traditional landfills, while creating 1,200 green jobs in informal recycling sectors.

Her political advocacy led to Peru's 2016 Circular Economy Law, mandating 50% waste diversion by 2030. Roca's initiatives have been replicated in Colombia and Chile through her LatAm Recycle Network, expanding impact across the region. The World Economic Forum named her a 2020 Young Global Leader for her work in urban sustainability.

Roca's approach combines technological innovation with community engagement, establishing recycling cooperatives that pay residents for sorted waste through her EcoPoints app. This system increased recycling rates from 12% to 45% in participating neighborhoods. Critics question scalability in rural areas, but her pilot in Arequipa shows promise with mobile collection units.

Her TEDx talk 'Zero Waste Cities: The Lima Model' has over 800,000 views, inspiring similar initiatives in Mexico City and Buenos Aires. Roca currently advises the UN's UNEP on urban sustainability frameworks, emphasizing the economic potential of waste-to-resource systems. By merging grassroots activism with cutting-edge technology, she's redefining how cities manage waste while addressing climate change and social inequality simultaneously.