Collecting, sorting and recycling re-usable materials from waste provides income to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. However, they often work under conditions that are harmful to the environment and to their health, and counter to the formal and often insufficient disposal services provided by the public sector.

• What has to be done so that people working in the waste sector on a seemingly unorganised basis enter into partnerships with private firms or municipal administrations?
• How can we shape cooperation between the public and informal actors in the waste management sector to ensure that it contributes to poverty reduction?
• What can be done to limit damage to people’s health and the environment in the future?

These are the key questions addressed by the project “Partnerships for recycling management”. The initial response combines the principle of recycling management with the potential of experienced waste collectors.

A recognised profession: catadores

A mechanical-biological waste treatment (MBWT) pilot project in São Sebastião in Brazil integrated the local waste collectors (catadores) and supported the establishment of cooperatives. With GIZ (former GTZ) assistance, the first international meeting of waste collectors took place in São Sebastião in September 2000. More than 60 representatives from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico participated. The catadores joined forces in a nationwide movement to demand more rights – and they were successful: at the end of 2002, the Ministry of Employment passed a law which recognises the catadores as a profession and improves their social security. At the end of 2003, the Ministry of Environment launched a programme to support the catadores.