Socio-productive inclusion of scavengers in municipal solid waste management in Brazil: Practices, paradigms and future prospects

COVID-19 pandemic: Solid waste and environmental impacts in Brazil

“…Being Brazil a middle-income country, the purpose of recycling is mainly income generation, besides resource recovery ( Conke, 2018 ). The Brazilian legislation regarding solid waste ( Brazil, 2010 ) encourages the integration of informal workers into the formal recycling sector, being the organization as a cooperative an important means to reduce socio-economic fragilities ( Fidelis et al, 2020 ; Ibáñez-Forésa et al, 2018 ). Considering the continental size of the country with its cultural and economic diversity, solid waste management also varies from similar to low-income countries to similar to high-income countries ( Cetrulo et al, 2018 ).…”

“…An important income loss has been reported because of the suspension of recycling programs using manual waste sorting in recycling centers, albeit this measure was intended to safeguard public health, and therefore some city governments – for example, Belém-PA and São Paulo-SP – have approved emergency financial support for recycling-related workers ( MPF, 2020 ; Jovem Pan, 2020 ). Because there is a high rate of turnover in recycling centers ( Fidelis et al, 2020 ), at least 6581 formal workers have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis (Table S4). In locations where recycling programs have not been suspended, sales for recycling materials have also been compromised because some sectors – such as recycling facilities and also middlemen – of the complex solid waste management system are not fully working ( Conke, 2018 ; Peduzi, 2020 ).…”

“… Kampf et al (2020) have reviewed the persistence of coronaviruses on different surfaces and have reported viruses' survival on metal for 5 days, on plastic for up to 5 days, on paper for 4 to 5 days, on glass for 4 days, and on aluminum for up to 8 h. Furthermore, one recent investigation on the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on several surfaces has reported viable SARS-CoV-2 virus on plastic for up to 72 h, on stainless steel for up to 48 h, and on cardboard for up to 24 h ( van Doremalen et al, 2020 ). Considering that plastic plus paper/cardboard represent 64.6% of recycling materials in recycling programs in Brazil, and because the majority of recycling centers in Brazil are based on manual waste sorting ( Fidelis et al, 2020 ), COVID-19 infection risk for workers in recycling centers is high. Therefore, the Brazilian Association for Environmental and Sanitary Engineering has recommended the suspension of recycling programs in Brazil ( ABES, 2020a ).…”

Covid-19 effects on municipal solid waste management: What can effectively be done in the Brazilian scenario?

“…In a study of the working conditions of waste pickers in Brazil, Fidelis et al. (2020) pointed out the lack of studies and information related to health, quality and safety at their working activities.…”

The Integration of Recycling Cooperatives in the Formal Management of Municipal Solid Waste as a Strategy for the Circular Economy—The Case of Londrina, Brazil

“…In developing countries, the informal recycling sector has actively participated in the recycling chain through the collection, classification (based on similar material characteristics) and commercialization of MSWRP [5,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Indeed, in many cases, the formal MSW management system is subsidized by the informal sector [16].…”