Expanding worldwide urban solid waste recycling: The Brazilian social technology in waste pickers inclusion

Abstract

'If an integrated urban waste management system includes the informal recycling sector (IRS), there is a good chance that more solid waste is recycled' is common sense. However, informal integration brings additional social, environmental, and economic benefits, such as reduction of operational costs and environmental impacts of landfilling. Brazil is a global best practice example in terms of waste picker inclusion, and has received international recognition for its recycling levels. In addition to analysing the results of inclusive recycling approaches, this article evaluates a selection of the best Brazilian inclusive recycling practices and summaries and presents the resulting knowledge. The objective is to identify processes that enable the replication of the inclusion of the informal recycling sector model as part of municipal solid waste management. Qualitative and quantitative data have been collected in 25 Brazilian cities that have contracted waste pickers co-operatives for door-to-door selective collection of recyclables. Field data was collected in action research projects that worked with waste pickers co-operatives between 2006 and 2013. The Brazilian informal recycling sector integration model improves municipal solid waste recycling indicators: it shows an increase in the net tonness recycled, from 140 to 208 t month(-1), at a much lower cost per tonne than conventional selective collection systems. Inclusive systems show costs of US$35 per tonne of recyclables collected, well below the national average of US$195.26. This inclusive model improves the quality of collected material and the efficiency of municipal selective collection. It also diminishes the negative impacts of informal recycling, by reducing child labour, and by improving the conditions of work, occupational health and safety, and uncontrolled pollution. Although treating the Brazilian experience as a blueprint for transfer of experience in every case is unrealistic, the results suggest that this approach to informal sector integration can be considered among the global best practices for informal sector integration. The article closes with recommendations for deploying technology in other urban areas throughout the world.

A Strategic Framework for Working toward Zero Waste Societies Based on Perceptions Surveys

“…For waste collection systems, kerbside door-to-door waste collection systems were supported by most of the waste experts. Most of the experts agreed that there is a need to promote social technologies such as recycling, collaborative consumption, shared ownership, and so on, to reduce waste generation, which is also supported in literature [44,47,61].…”

“…[54][55][56] Effective waste collection services (kerbside waste collection) [56][57][58] Decentralized recycling and resource recovery centres [59,60] Enabling social technology through community participation (recycling, composting, etc.) [61,62] Figure 1. The key issues related to zero waste management, adapted from [30].…”

“…[54][55][56] Effective waste collection services (kerbside waste collection) [56][57][58] Decentralized recycling and resource recovery centres [59,60] Enabling social technology through community participation (recycling, composting, etc.) [61,62] Improve source reduction through pay-as-you throw principle [24,63] Waste incentives (levy, taxes, token, etc.) [64][65][66] Environmentally friendly waste treatment solutions [67][68][69] Regulations on restricted mass use of landfill and waste-to-energy (WTE) [28,[70][71][72] Monitoring and assessment Available and reliable waste data [73,74] Performance evaluation through zero waste research [75,76] Recycling 2017, 2, 1 4 of 15…”

Recycling in Brasil: Paper and Plastic Supply Chain

“…As Anne Scheinberg has pointed out these two chains in the low and middle income countries are linked by the recycling informal sector [10]. In Brasil, as represented in Figure 1, the IRS place is occupied by WPs that collect the recyclables from trash bins, streets, dumpsites, households, and companies and treat them in order to sell them as feedstock to the recycling industry [8]. Brasil is among the ten largest paper-recycling countries in the world [11].…”

“…The PET recycling index in Brasil is reported to be higher than the USA, England, Italy and Portugal [7]. The WPs are largely recognized as responsible for the return of plastics and paper to production [8].…”