Like most major countries in the world, Brazil produces enormous amounts of solid waste. Currently, Brazil produces more than 161,000 tons of solid waste every day, and towns such as Patos, Pombal and Sousa in Paraiba State, North Eastern Brazil, contribute to that large volume of waste. With support from ElectricAid, United Purpose set out to improve the livelihoods of 60 waste pickers and their families in these towns.
Waste pickers and their families are amongst the most vulnerable members of society. They struggle to earn a living collecting, sorting and selling reusable and recyclable materials to recycling plants, usually in an informal capacity. They are amongst the poorest in their communities, the majority relying on the federal government cash transfer programme to complement what they can earn from picking, in order to ensure they are able to put food on the table. As a rule, they work long hours on rubbish dumps or walking the streets, picking reusable/recyclable items from household rubbish. They live life on the margins and their difficult work conditions are compounded by poor living conditions. Their direct contact with waste, often contaminated, makes them more prone to diseases and consequently a lower life expectancy. They are more susceptible to socio-economic inequalities, most are illiterate or have a low level of education, suffer from discrimination, poor access to basic services and violation of their rights. If waste pickers are to have any hope of ensuring a continued livelihood and to improve their work and living conditions, it is essential that they are organised, strengthened, working together and with one voice.
United Purpose partnered with the local Patos group to supply heavy duty work uniforms protecting pickers from contaminants and hazardous materials. Alongside the safety benefits the uniforms bring they’ve also helped to change the way authorities in these towns view the waste pickers, with the Patos group stating that uniforms received make them appear more professional, increasing respect from the public and contributing to reduce discrimination.
Twenty-three custom-made trolleys and individual protective kits were purchased for the Sousa group. Prior to this they had no means of transporting recyclable materials that they collected from the streets, or from local businesses and households. This has made an enormous difference to the amount that they can gather and sell on in any one day, already increasing their monthly incomes by an average of 40%. After strenuous negotiations with local government the Sousa group were also successful in gaining a parcel of land. This will be used in the future by the Sousa group to build their warehouse, where they will sort and press recyclable materials for onward sale.
Before the project, electrical issues had meant that two of the groups were unable to press the materials for sale, devaluing the price they can sell on for by half. Both groups negotiated with local authorities to resolve these issues however, given a challenging political context, neither were successful. Given this and their immediate need, the Patos group, who are more structured and organised than the other two groups, decided to resolve the problem themselves. Using part of their income from sales of recyclable materials and with support from a local company they purchased the necessary electrical materials and resolved their power issues.
For the Pombal group an Electrical Engineer was hired to resolve this issue. The group is now able to use the machines it already owned and is in a position to receive other important equipment/machines promised by the Paraíba State Government. This is making a great difference to the Pombal association, as Luiz Oliveira, their vice-coordinator, told us “we are very thankful for the support received to resolve our electrical problem, because now we can use the machines we have and we’re ready to receive the new machines, and that will make an enormous difference to increasing our production so we can earn more from our work”.
All three groups recognise that there is a continued need to carry out advocacy with local governments in relation to waste management policies. They hope to continue liaising with local governments in the near future to educate and encourage households and businesses to separate recyclable materials for collection. They aim to put plans in place which will overcome the challenges they face to ensure sustainability in the waste disposal industry.
Overall, the project has been deemed a major success with increases in productivity, income and improved working conditions while simultaneously working towards UN Sustainable Development Goals #9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure) and #12 (Responsible Production and Consumption) . All of which would not have been possible without the continued support of ElectricAid’s members. Thank you to one and all for your support.
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