Juanchi, a 21-year-old from a small town outside Buenos Aires, supports himself and his family by digging through trash. Six days a week, Juanchi roams the streets of the Argentine capital in search of cardboard and other recyclables, hoping to sell his findings to a recycling depository. Like thousands of Argentines, he is “un cartonero”, a cardboard collector. Common sights on Buenos Aires’ bustling boulevards, they form part of the country’s booming informal economy, which swelled drastically following the 2001 economic collapse. Now, as the government scrambles to repay foreign debts and find solid footing in a changing global economy, the cardboard collectors’ presence in the Argentine discourse continues to emerge. Will the benefits of free trade trickle down to people like Juanchi? How does Argentina’s partnership with the IMF and the World Bank play into their struggle for daily survival? Los Cartoneros/The Cardboard People explores the relationship of globalization, poverty, and how they affect the lives of those living through them.