“…Santos and Silva (2011) address the meaning of 'garbage' and 'health', as well as point out the importance of meanings to understand the individual in its working environment and, consequently, to improve waste pickers' work and health conditions listed in the "waste, work and health meanings" analytical category. accordingly, Santos and Silva (2009), Pereira et al (2012) and Coelho et al (2016a) highlighted the complexity and ambiguity of working with waste and the dialectical process of inclusion (work and income source, activity acknowledgment, "warrior women" and "men-women" self--image) and exclusion (prejudice, negative self-image built from the stigma of working as the "rest", suffering) this activity represents for these professionals. Thus, according to these groups of workers, working with waste "gives other subjective and odd meaning to independence, overcoming, resistance and to the possibility of improving the quality of life" (CoELHo et al, 2016a, p. 8).…”