Waste pickers and their inclusion in Brazilian public environmental decisions: an analysis of 10 years of policy development

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20435/inter.v25i4.4358

Keywords:

Latin America, qualitative methods, case study, narrative analyses

Abstract

In the waste management chain, the most fragile actors remain the waste pickers. Being present in poor and rich economies, they are the result of social stratification and lack of employment opportunities. With the emergence of the first waste picker cooperatives in Latin America, the government and Brazilian society turned their attention to a group previously considered criminal. Through the Advocacy Coalition Framework model, this study aims to understand the role of the main coalitions involved in the development of an environmental plan, how it affects society and for future projects, how to insert the social part in political decisions that sometimes opt for technocratic ideas. The research analysed a policy-making process over an entire decade. Interviews were conducted with those involved in the waste management in one of the world's leading capitals when it comes to associativism and cooperativism: Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The economic crises in Brazil in the first two decades of the 21st century and the impeachment process that changed the transfer of funds from federal programs to waste pickers had a great influence on the process under analysis.

Author Biography

Eva Ferreira, Tomas Bata University, Zlín, Czechia.

Ph.D. in Sanitation, Environment and Water Resources, with an MBA in Project Management, a M.Sc. in Agronomy, an MBA-Specialization in Waste/Wastewater treatment, and an MBA-Specialization in Environmental Planning and Management. She has worked as a Lecturer/Researcher/Consultant in Brazil, Czechia, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Slovakia. Her main topics are soil quality, water resources management and urban solid waste management, including the technical and political aspects.

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Published

2024-12-05

How to Cite

Ferreira, E. (2024). Waste pickers and their inclusion in Brazilian public environmental decisions: an analysis of 10 years of policy development. Interações (Campo Grande), 25(4), e2544358. https://doi.org/10.20435/inter.v25i4.4358