Title: Recycling capacity through formal and informal activities in six cities in São Paulo State, Brazil

Authors: Fernanda Giffoni Fernandes Luz; Marcus César Avezum Alves De Castro; Ladislav Rozenský; Miroslav Hájek

Addresses: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Av. 24ª, 1515, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil ' Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Av. 24ª, 1515, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil ' First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Humanities in Medicine, Charles University, Ovocný trh 5, 116-36, Praha 1, Czech Republic ' Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165-21, Prague 6 – Suchdol, Czech Republic

Abstract: Sustainability of waste management practices is a multidimensional challenge faced by authorities worldwide, especially in low and middle-income countries, where informal sector plays important role. In Brazil, municipal government is responsible for the solid waste management, but formal recycling is promoted by cooperatives supported by government and informal workers and enterprises also act on recycling activities. Effective data on the reality of waste flows within the municipalities are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyse indicators for the comprehension of recycling capacity of six municipalities in the interior of São Paulo State in Brazil by investigating public data and applying questionnaires to social actors. For the most part, the results point to a great participation of local leaders managing informal collection in urban areas. The average recycling rate found is 10.8% and approximately 8% of the total solid waste is recyclable material collected by informal recycling every year. Results show great efficiency of small business which are able to improve sustainability of public services if seen as a part of the system.

Keywords: waste indicators; informal sector; recycling rate; informal recycling services; solid waste management modernisation; small cities solid waste management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2021.112950

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2021 Vol.27 No.2, pp.183 - 200

Received: 28 Feb 2019
Accepted: 29 Aug 2019
Published online: 11 Feb 2021 *

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