O trabalho de catadores de material reciclável na periferia de Fortaleza, Ceará : uma avaliação com base na sustentabilidade

Abstract

Concern for nature and the planet's ability to support human existence and other species has expanded in recent years. It is known that humanity must interact with the environment in order to guarantee the sustainability of life on earth for this and future generations, respecting the planet's ecosystem limits. This subject was the agenda of several conferences and international meetings, which resulted in agendas whose purpose is to achieve sustainable development. However, to what extent can sustainability be real? Much of what is presented as sustainable can be understood as just a tool of the capitalist economic system, since the concept of sustainability is contrary to the pattern of growth and unbridled consumption encouraged by capitalism. In view of this context, the present work presents and analyzes the management of recyclable waste in the city of Fortaleza- CE, making a cut for the service in the peripheral neighborhoods, in particular the Prefeito José Walter neighborhood. The neighborhood does not benefit from selective home collection, and for that, it has collectors of recyclable material who circulate on the streets. Understanding the work of the collectors as a public policy that directly or indirectly provides the well-being of the local community, this research has as general objective to evaluate it in this function. We tried to verify the collector's contribution regarding the sustainability of the periphery, bringing data on the dynamics of work and cooperation with the local community, and social inclusion of this. For this purpose, the Assessment Based on Sustainability (ABS) was used as a tool. This evaluation proposes that sustainability be thought of as a set of inseparable dimensions, namely the economic, ecological, sociocultural and institutional-political dimensions. These must work together, otherwise sustainable development will not occur. For data collection, a group of 30 collectors, reached during field research in the months of September to December 2022, answered a questionnaire based on and evaluated in the dimensions of sustainability, proposed by ABS. It was concluded that the presence of recyclable material collectors in the neighborhood promotes sustainability, not only by collecting the material that would go to dumps and landfills, giving the possibility of making it an alternative raw material, but also through cooperation with residents and traders, that promotes environmental education and the practice of shared responsibility. Despite the relevance of this activity, the category suffers from financial insecurity and social exclusion. This fact is aggravated by the fact that everyone in this group practices the activity autonomously. It is suggested that these form a formal association so that they strengthen themselves as a group, and can claim their rights, ensure physical health through the division of labor and foster partnerships. The formal organization will allow this non- governmental public policy to gain more space and voice in the periphery.