Profile Survey of Waste Pickers in Brazil: Requirements for the Development of a Collection Vehicle and Optimized Routing

Abstract

This study presents information collected from waste pickers in the southern, south-eastern and north-eastern regions of Brazil to guide the development of a collection vehicle and a support system for the definition of collecting routes. The study had three objectives: to specify the profile of waste pickers of recyclable materials in the three surveyed regions; to diagnose the working conditions of individuals linked to associations and cooperatives of waste pickers and to identify the physical and operational structure of the waste picker organizations. To reach these objectives questionnaires were issued to waste pickers linked to associations and cooperatives that collect recyclables using human- or animal-powered vehicles and to the waste picker organizations themselves. Based on the results of this study, we are able to provide the requirements for the development of the collection vehicle, to draw a profile of the waste pickers in the three study regions and have better understanding of the working and physical conditions and the organizational structure of waste picker entities. It can be concluded that waste pickers suffer several forms of deprivation, resulting in the marginalization, prejudice and exclusion of individuals who conduct this work, making it essential to promote actions that contribute to the social inclusion of waste pickers in their productive segment.

Urban Solid Waste Management in Caxias Do Sul/Brazil: Practices and Challenges

“…This result is very similar to other studies done in Brazil. According to the survey conducted by Ramos et al (2013) (2000), Romansini (2005) and Ramos et al (2013) among others, about the low educational level of pickers.…”

“…Nevertheless, there are no public policies that contribute to the real social and economic inclusion of these workers in the municipal solid waste management system (Ramos et al, 2013). Several works in the literature (Ramos et al, 2013;Guerreo et al, 2013;Talyan et al, 2008;Rockson et al, 2013;Medina, 2000) presented a conflict situation between local government, population and waste pickers.…”

“…This leads to many problems related to the proper disposal of this waste, involving environmental, economic and social factors (Ramos et al, 2013). However, some local governments are implementing actions for try to improve the waste management situation in their cities, driven by the creation of stricter federal laws and by increasing of people concerned about environmental issues.…”

“…According to IBGE (2010), the number of selective waste collection programs has increased in Brazil, rising from 58 in 1989 to 994 in 2008. Following this trend, depending on the economic conditions of Brazilians, there are a growing number of waste pickers or scavengers who earn income from the collection of recyclable materials and contribute to strengthening the recycling chain (Ramos et al, 2013). However, in many developed cities around the world, the informal scavengers are a challenge for municipal authorities because their activities are not inserted as part of the municipal solid waste management system (Nzeadibe, 2009).…”

“…Several works in the literature (Ramos et al, 2013;Guerreo et al, 2013;Talyan et al, 2008;Rockson et al, 2013;Medina, 2000) presented a conflict situation between local government, population and waste pickers. Therefore, this work presents the results of a case study based on the participation of formal scavengers in the municipal waste management of Caxias do Sul city.…”