Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): He estado reciclando más cartón y latas esta semana. - I’ve been recycling more cardboard and cans this week.

It’s the present perfect progressive (also called present perfect continuous): he (1st person singular of auxiliary haber) + estado (past participle of estar) + reciclando (gerund of reciclar). It expresses an activity that has been happening over a recent time period and is relevant to now.

How does He estado reciclando differ from Estoy reciclando, He reciclado, and Reciclé?

Estoy reciclando = I am recycling (right now, at this moment).
He estado reciclando = I have been recycling (repeatedly or over a span of time up to now; here, throughout this week).
He reciclado = I have recycled (completed actions with present relevance, without emphasizing the ongoing process).
Reciclé = I recycled (a completed past action, often tied to a specific time; in Latin America, this is common even with time frames like esta semana).

Is He estado reciclando natural in Latin America, or would people say something else?

It’s correct and understood. However, many speakers in Latin America would more often say:

Esta semana reciclé más cartón y latas. (simple past)
Esta semana he reciclado más cartón y latas. (present perfect, also fine) Use He estado reciclando when you want to stress the continuity or repeated nature during the week.

Why is it estado and not estando?

After haber, Spanish always uses a past participle, not a gerund. So it must be he estado, never he estando. The gerund estando appears in other structures (e.g., Estando enfermo, no salí), but not after haber.

Do I need to include the subject pronoun yo?

No. He estado reciclando… already implies “I.” You can add yo for emphasis or contrast: Yo he estado reciclando…

Why is there no article before cartón and latas?

Spanish often omits articles with an indefinite, non-specific amount:

más cartón (cartón is a mass noun: “cardboard” as material)
latas (indefinite plural: “cans” in general) If you mean specific items, use articles: el cartón y las latas. If you want “some,” you can say unas latas.

Should cartón be plural (cartones) to match latas?

Not necessarily. Cartón is typically mass/uncountable (the material). Cartones means “cardboard boxes/sheets.” Choose based on meaning:

más cartón = more cardboard (material)
más cartones = more boxes/sheets

Does más apply to both cartón and latas, or should I repeat it?

It applies to the whole phrase cartón y latas. Repeating is optional and adds emphasis or clarity:

más cartón y latas (default)
más cartón y más latas (emphasis on both)

Why is it y latas and not e latas?

Spanish changes y to e only before words starting with the “i/hi” sound, e.g., padres e hijos, España e Italia. Since latas doesn’t start with that sound, you keep y.

Can I move esta semana to the front? Do I need a comma?

Yes: Esta semana, he estado reciclando… Putting the time frame first emphasizes it. The comma after a short adverbial like this is stylistically optional; many writers include it for clarity.

Why is it esta (not este) semana?

Agreement: semana is feminine, so use esta. Use este with masculine nouns (e.g., este mes).

What about the accents: más, cartón, and esta?

más (more) always takes an accent. Without the accent, mas means “but” (formal/literary).
cartón gets an accent to mark the final stress.
esta (this) does not take an accent. está (is) is the verb form and would be wrong here. The old accented demonstrative ésta is no longer recommended by the RAE.

Could I say He reciclado más cartón y latas esta semana instead? Any nuance difference?

Yes. He reciclado… focuses on the result (you have recycled more). He estado reciclando… highlights the ongoing/repeated activity across the week. Both are fine; choose the nuance you want.

Do I ever need de after más here (like más de cartón)?

Not in this structure. Use plain más + noun. Use más de before numbers or certain comparisons:

más de 10 latas
más latas de lo normal

Where can I put object pronouns if I replace cartón and latas?

With a compound form like this, you have two natural options:

Before the auxiliary: Las he estado reciclando.
Attached to the gerund: He estado reciclándolas. (note the accent on reciclándolas) You cannot attach pronouns to a past participle: ✗ he recicládolas.

How would I express “I’ve been [doing it] all week” with llevar + gerund?

Use llevar + time expression + gerund:

Llevo toda la semana reciclando más cartón y latas. This is very natural in Latin America to emphasize duration.

Is durante esta semana okay, or is esta semana better?

Both are correct. Durante esta semana is slightly more formal/emphatic. In everyday speech, esta semana alone is more common.

Is en esta semana natural?

You’ll hear it regionally, but the most standard choices are simply esta semana or durante esta semana. Prefer those unless you’re matching a specific regional style.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

He: the h is silent; sounds like “eh.”
estado: stress on the second syllable (es-TA-do).
reciclando: the ci is like “see” (reh-see-CLAN-do).
cartón: stress on the last syllable (car-TÓN).
latas: stress on the first syllable (LA-tas).
esta: stress on the first syllable (ES-ta).
más: stress marked by the accent.