Consumers, Waste Pickers and Recycling in Brazil… On the Cusp of Change?

1. Consumers, Waste Pickers and Recycling in Brazil… On the Cusp of Change? Kim Beecheno, Brazil Institute, King’s College London Kim.beecheno@kcl.ac.uk

2. Purpose of the Study To show how recycling is organised in Brazil To highlight that the situation in Brazil contrasts quite starkly with how recycling is organised in Sweden & England Desk research: variety of sources, e.g. gov websites & official docs, NGO websites & publications, policy analysis from experts on waste, recycling and environmental issues

3. Brazil’s Growing Waste Problem • Solid waste increased by 1.8% in 2011(double the population growth of 0.9%) to approximately 62 million tonnes in 2011 • Household waste is the responsibility of the municipality and collection covers 95% of the country (not including ‘favelas’ reducing coverage to around 89%) • Illegal dumping of household waste and fly-tipping along roadsides and riverbanks is common • 51% of waste goes to open-air dumps (currently 2,906 dumps in total) • 28% goes to engineered landfill • 21% goes to sanitary landfill

4. Basic Sanitations Problems • 33 municipalities across Brazil still do not have running water • There is no collective sewage network in 2,495 municipalities throughout Brazil (out of 5,565) • Most common solution is the use of septic tanks • 3,995 of Brazil's municipalities, (72%) of all municipalities did not have a basic sanitation policy in place towards the end of 2012, despite it being a legal obligation by 2010, after the creation of the National Basic Sanitation Law in 2007

5. Recycling • Consumer consciousness around recycling is low in Brazil. • BUT recycling is not new in Brazil: between 2003 and 2008, recycling rose from 5 million tons to 7.1 million tons, the equivalent of 13 % of urban waste (Ciclosoft, 2012) • Brazil is world leader in the recycling of aluminium cans (98.3 %) and second only to Japan for the recycling of PET plastic (PNSB, 2008). • Government statistics: Recycling Sector generates about US$5.5 billion per year but loses around US$3.6 billion annually by not recycling waste which is sent to controlled landfills or open-air dumps (BrasilGov, 2013). • 32% of municipalities have some form of segregated waste collection scheme, generally kerbside commingled segregated collection or voluntary bring banks. Mainly in South • Focus on recycling is built around the concept of economic gain for the country, rather than around the environmental discourse which is secondary • 89% of the industrial production circuit for reused raw material is separated and sorted by waste pickers, 11% by industries

6. Waste Pickers

7. Social Movements • Creation of cooperatives across the country from 1990s, e.g. COOPEMARE in São Paulo, ASMARE in Belo Horizonte – highly organised network of cooperatives across the country • Work with some municipalities performing segregated waste collection, storing/warehousing and pressing of recyclables • National Movement for Collectors of Recyclables (MNCR) campaigns for waste picker rights since 2001

8. Waste Picker Statistics • Waste pickers now have semi-formal status – included in CBO classification of jobs • Waste pickers categorised by collection activities: e.g. scrap picker, scrap iron picker, paper/cardboard picker, scrap packager and scrap sorter. • 3 types of waste picker now identified in Brazil: A) Unorganised or autonomous waste pickers B) Organised waste pickers C) Contracted waste pickers

9. Statistics Continued… Who are they? 67% men, 33% women,10% children aged 10 to 16 (Wiego, 2011) Low literacy rates 14% of men and 6% of women attended school Gender differences 4.5% (just under 12,000) have a formal contract, (80% men, 20 % women) 56% of waste pickers in cooperatives or associations are women, compared to 44% men Earnings Average salaries generally below one minimum wage US$190-235 (R$420-520) per month. Men earn more than women across all age groups

11. Problems andChallenges • Stigma of job • Personal Problems • Social services of cooperatives VS economic function • Poor management in cooperatives • Unfair remuneration

12. Policy – change on the horizon? • New National Solid Waste Policy, PolíticaNacional de ResíduosSólidos, (‘PNRS’), 2010. National Solid Waste Plan currently being implemented. • SHARED RESPONSIBILITY for the life-cycle of a product from producers to consumers. • REVERSE LOGISTICS, for the first time producers are responsible for the return of their ‘waste’ products to the production chain. • Closure of all open-air dumps by 2014 and creation of engineered landfills • Obligatory for municipalities to implement household source-segregation schemes that include waste picker cooperatives. Municipalities that do not, will not have access to federal funding for waste management.

13. Overview • ‘Consumption work’ is very different in Brazil compared to England and Sweden • Little environmental consciousness around recycling at the moment • Consumers currently play only a small role in the division of labour within waste disposal and recycling – could change • Brazil has high recycling rates for some materials but this is dependent on market forces and informal work of waste pickers • Recycling work is mainly carried out by waste pickers who are part of the informal economy and it is a survival strategy although greater formalisation and inclusion is occurring • Implementation of new solid waste policy 2010 (PNRS) could bring substantial change but this remains to be seen

14. THANK YOU!