The city of Hermosillo, in Mexico, is implementing the Biciclando project, focusing on gender, recycling and sustainable mobility. By empowering women recyclers—known as bicicladoras—to collect household recyclables using electric bicycles, the initiative creates green jobs for women while promoting inclusive climate action and sustainable urban development.
What does Biciclando mean?
Biciclando is more than a recycling initiative—it is a municipal project of women’s empowerment and cultural transformation toward sustainability. For the bicicladoras, being part of the project brings autonomy, purpose, and a sense of contribution to their community.
Watch the video to learn more about their journey.
Recent milestones
As September 2025, the project has entered a new stage, marked by a series of engaging activities and events.
1. First community bike ride
The first community bike ride of Biciclando happened in collaboration with Caminantes del Desierto and Bikes&Trees, both organizations with experience in sustainable mobility and urban reforestation. This activity raisedd the visibility of the project, encourage citizen participation, promoted the bicycle as a sustainable means of transportation, and strengthened connections with local environmental conservation initiatives.
2. Theater performance
At the Centro de Economía Circular, a theater performance was held on July 26 to encourage reflection on inclusive urban mobility, gender equity, and environmental care. Through this socio-artistic intervention, the audience was sensitized to the importance of fairer and more sustainable mobility, the visibility of female employment in the circular economy, and the need to promote responsible waste management practices, creating a space for listening and collective dialogue.
3. Artisanal soap workshop
On August 2, bicicladoras attended a hands-on Artisanal soap workshop at the Centro de Economía Circular. Participants learned to make eco-friendly soaps using natural ingredients and molds crafted from reused PET and tetrapak materials. Each participant left with two finished pieces, new skills, and potential avenues for future sustainable business initiatives that blend creativity with environmental consciousness.
4. Internal connection session: “Sorority in motion”
On August 6, the facilitation team hosted an internal session, “Sorority in motion”, to strengthen relationships among bicicladoras and project participants. Through walking icebreakers, sound and movement exercises, group reflections, and a World Café, participants co-created a shared vision, celebrated diversity, and strengthened belonging. The session concluded with a symbolic visual compass that represented their collective ideas and commitments, accompanied by performative feedback and music, reinforcing the sense of sisterhood, collaboration, and mutual support.
5. Painting of a community mural
On August 10, the community came together to paint a mural inspired by Biciclando’s core principles, where participants shared information and fostered the symbolic appropriation of the Centro de Economía Circular. This collaborative artwork transformed the centre into a vibrant, shared space of identity, collaboration, and environmental stewardship. Beyond its visual impact, the mural reflected the collective power of neighbours working toward sustainable change.
6. Activities with children
Interactive workshops introduced children, girls, and boys to the 3Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle through games, participatory exercises, and guided tours of the Centro de Economía Circular. Through playful activities, they learned the difference between waste and trash, as well as the meaning of the 3Rs. These workshops fostered early awareness and knowledge of sustainability, encouraged curiosity, and gave young participants a sense of responsibility for the environment, cultivating the next generation of conscious citizens.
Conclusion
The Biciclando project is evolving beyond recycling—it is cultivating leadership, solidarity, and creativity among women while engaging entire communities in building a circular, inclusive, and climate-conscious future. By combining environmental innovation with gender empowerment and community engagement, Hermosillo is demonstrating how local initiatives can create systemic change, inspire civic pride, and serve as a model for cities worldwide seeking sustainable, people-centred development.
