Solidarity economic enterprise formed by waste pickers: a case study of the Águas Lindas waste pickers association, Belém, Pará

Abstract

Solidarity Economic Enterprises (EES), such as cooperatives and associations of recyclable material collectors, insert members (workers) informally into the job market, promoting income generation and a better quality of life. The way EES are organized is self-managed, democratic, and supportive, despite having specificities from one enterprise to another due to economic variables, public support, qualifications, and the life history of the members themselves. Given the above, the research aims to carry out an analysis of the organization process in the Associação de Recicladores das Águas Linda (ARAL), established in Belém, Pará, through the principles of Solidarity Economy, identifying whether it is configured as an Enterprise Solidarity Economic. To carry out the investigation, it was necessary to use a qualitative methodology of the descriptive, explanatory type, as this is a specific case study that aims to provide information about the association above. The results demonstrate that collectors collaborating through an EES have better working conditions and better-organized security to develop their activities. They carry out work in a self-managed manner where all enterprise associates perform crucial functions for its completion. They adopt this form of informal work out of necessity and still face many difficulties due to the restriction of the market for the sale of recyclable materials and the difficulties imposed on migrating from an association model to a cooperative model.