Paper short abstract:

Does the new National Policy on Solid Waste enacted recently in Brazil have the potential to bring real benefits to the living and working conditions of waste pickers and integrate the role of the informal sector, or will this legislation simply boost the growth of a profitable private market?

Paper long abstract:

According to a survey from ABRELPE (2010), from 2009 to 2010, the amount of waste in Brazil increased at six times the population growth rate and about 60% of the 173.583 tonnes of waste officially collected per day was improperly disposed of in uncontrolled landfills and open dumps. A further major challenge in Brazil is the issue of informality. Freitas and Fonseca (2011) estimate that there are approximately 800,000 casual waste-pickers in the informal sector, of whom 60% are working in very low-efficiency circumstances.

The launch of the National Policy on Solid Waste in 2010 signalled Brazil's adoption of management strategies of other more developed economies, and opens a promising market for investments in the solid-waste management sector. Brazil is thus undergoing an important transition period of modernisation that deserves careful attention.

A key feature of this policy is the obligations to prioritise the use of cooperatives of waste pickers in the collection of recyclable waste. Solid waste in this country is closely linked to the social and employment status of waste-pickers, and the role of the informal sector.

The study will consider whether this policy will address the issues of lack of technology and growth of the informal market - matter that are very live within debates about issues of waste management in developing countries. The study will consider whether this legislation will be able to bring real benefits to the living and working conditions of waste pickers and integrate the role of the informal sector.