Recycling in Brazil
Brazil's overall recycling rate is 4%, according to Abrelpe (Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Limpeza Pública e Resíduos Especiais){{Cite web |date=2022-06-05 |title=Índice de reciclagem no Brasil é de apenas 4%, diz Abrelpe |url=https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2022-06/indice-de-reciclagem-no-brasil-e-de-4-diz-abrelpe |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Agência Brasil |language=pt-br}} but differs a lot from city to city.Look, M. (2009) [http://www.earth911.com/living-well-being/travel-living/trash-planet-brazil/ Trash Planet: Brazil](Web). Earth911.com. Retrieved 7 December 2014. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213003518/http://www.earth911.com/living-well-being/travel-living/trash-planet-brazil/ |date=13 December 2014 }} Brazil has no structured municipal recycling programs. Only 6.4% of Brazilian municipalities have official waste recycling programs Ribeiro, H., Besen, G. R., Günther, W. R., Jacobi, P., and Demajorovic. 2005. Recycling Programs in partnership with scavenger associations as sustainability factor in metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil. and more than 70% of Brazilians do not separate their recyclable materials into proper bins.{{Cite web |title=Como o Brasil está começando a virar o jogo da reciclagem de plástico |url=https://umsoplaneta.globo.com/financas/negocios/noticia/2021/05/16/como-o-brasil-esta-comecando-a-virar-o-jogo-da-reciclagem-de-plastico.ghtml |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Um só Planeta |language=pt-br}} The recovery of recyclable material is largely left to waste pickers, who earn a living by collecting recyclables and selling them to private recycling companies.
Main businesses in Brazil are taking a lead role in organizing recycling collection in the country's major cities.United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2002. How to Establish Recycling and Composting Programs. United States Environmental Protection Agency. In 1992, private companies from various areas established the Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE), a nonprofit organization work for the promotion of recycling within the scope of comprehensive waste management as an initiative to build a better environmental image for their associates.{{cite web |url=http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/cempre_institucional.php |title=Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) |author= |website=Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) |access-date=14 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201185446/http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/cempre_institucional.php |archive-date=1 December 2010}} CEMPRE tries to increase the community's awareness of recycling and other solid waste issues through publications, technical research, seminars, and databases.
Waste pickers
File:Realidade Socioeconômica e Política Brasileira Por Renata Ferreira.JPG
The collection of recyclable materials in Brazil is largely from waste pickers. Waste picking activities are supported by government. In Brazil, waste picking is now recognized as an occupation, and organized waste pickers are seen as legitimate stakeholders who can voice their opinions at the local, state, and national levels.Medina, M. 2008. [http://www.ppiaf.org/sites/ppiaf.org/files/publication/Gridlines-44-Informal%20Recycling%20-%20MMedina.pdf The informal recycling sector in developing countries.] GRIDLINES. Retrieved 10 December 2014. Recycling has difficulties advancing in Brazil. Only 41.4% of the population has access to selective collection.{{Cite web |last=Soares |first=Gabriella |date=2021-06-13 |title=Reciclagem no Brasil atinge apenas 2,1% de tudo que é coletado |url=https://www.poder360.com.br/brasil/reciclagem-no-brasil-atinge-apenas-21-de-tudo-que-e-coletado/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Poder360 |language=pt-br}}
According to research conducted by Abrelpe in 2019, recyclable materials that go into landfill improperly resulted in a loss of R$14 billion reais annually. This loss could have been allocated to waste pickers who earn a living collecting recyclables.
A national program, named Integrated Solid Waste and Carbon Finance Project, is developing strategies for incorporating waste pickers into local waste management systems. Organizing waste picking activities into recycling cooperatives has been one of CEMPRE's main activities as well.
Materials
Brazil is one of the countries with the lowest recycling rates in the world, behind Yemen and Syria and well below the world average, which is 9%.{{Cite web |title=Brasil é o 4º maior produtor de lixo plástico do mundo e recicla apenas 1% |url=https://g1.globo.com/natureza/noticia/2019/03/04/brasil-e-o-4o-maior-produtor-de-lixo-plastico-do-mundo-e-recicla-apenas-1.ghtml |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=G1 |language=pt-br}} In Brazil, the main materials for reprocessing are aluminum, steel, glass, paper and plastics.Medina, H. V. 2008. [http://www.oecd.org/env/indicators-modelling-outlooks/Medina.pdf Materials recycling: main trends of a new industrial sector in Brazil.] Conference on resource efficiency. Retrieved 10 December 2014. They also recycle batteries, cooking oil, laminated material, refrigerators and so on.Unilever. 2010. [http://www.unilever.tt/sustainability/casestudies/environment/brazilrecyclingconsumerpackagingwaste.aspx Brazil: Recycling consumer waste]. Retrieved 10 December 2014 The results of plastic recycling are significantly low, but the aluminum recycling rate is one of the highest in the world.Tangri, N. 2001. [http://greenyes.grrn.org/2001/01/msg00000.html Brazil & Recycling.] GreenYes Archives. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
=Paper=
The paper industry in Brazil is responsible for 1% of the GDP.{{Cite web |last=Pixel4 |title=Recicla Sampa - História e reciclagem de papel: entenda o processo e como fazer |url=https://www.reciclasampa.com.br/artigo/historia-e-reciclagem-de-papel:-entenda-o-processo-e-como-fazer |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=www.reciclasampa.com.br |language=pt-br}} In 2006, Brazil recycled 3.9 million tons, or 45 percent, of the paper materials produced that year. Taking into consideration only the paper used in packaging, the recycling rate is even higher at 70 percent. In Brazil, industries consume 2.8 million tons of recycled paper.{{cite web |url=http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_papel_escritorio.php |title=Office paper - The market for recycling |author= |website=Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) |access-date=14 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225150906/http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_papel_escritorio.php |archive-date=25 December 2010}} The paper recycling amount in Brazil varies greatly from area to area. In the south and southeast area, rates of recycling are high, at 64% and 44% respectively; whereas it is 16% in other areas.
=Aluminum cans=
In 2021, the country managed to recycle 98.7% of aluminum cans, which represents approximately 33 billion aluminum cans.{{Cite web |date=2022-04-13 |title=Brasil registra reciclagem de 98,7% de latas de alumínio em 2021 |url=https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2022-04/brasil-registra-reciclagem-de-987-de-latas-de-aluminio-em-2021 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Agência Brasil |language=pt-br}} Since 1990, this is the highest rate in the history of can recycling, and is also one of the highest in the world.
Aluminum is collected and stored by a chain of about 2,000 scrap collectors.{{cite web |url=http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_latas_aluminio.php |title=Aluminum cans - The recycling market |author= |website=Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) |access-date=14 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225150946/http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_latas_aluminio.php |archive-date=25 December 2010}} 50% of the collectors are industries, and the others are supermarkets, schools, companies, and charitable entities. Despite the excellent result with aluminum cans, recycling of other products is still widely low.
=Steel cans=
In Brazil, just 5% of drink cans are made of steel.{{cite web |url=http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_latas_aco.php |title=Steel cans - The market for recycling |author= |website=Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) |access-date=14 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225150747/http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_latas_aco.php |archive-date=25 December 2010}} In 2007, Brazil's recycling rate for steel cans was 49 percent. The total fraction of steel recycled in Brazil, including steel from old cars, household electronics, and building waste, is estimated to be 70%.
=Tires=
57% of the 260,000 tones of used tires estimated to be thrown away each year in Brazil were sent to cement ovens in Brazil.{{cite web |url=http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_pneus.php |title=Tires - The market for recycling |author= |website=Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) |access-date=14 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225150515/http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_pneus.php |archive-date=25 December 2010}} In Brazil, used tires are applied to make artificial reefs in the sea, to increase fisheries production. Energy can be recovered by burning the tires in controlled ovens, because each tire contains the energy of 9.4 liters of petroleum oil.
=Plastic=
Brazil is the 4th largest producer of plastic waste in the world, behind only the United States, China and India. Brazil produces about 11.3 million tons of plastic waste yearly, but only 1.2% is recycled. Every Brazilian produces around 1 kg of plastic waste weekly. Also, 60% of the recycled plastic comes from industrial residue and 40% from urban refuse.{{cite web |url=http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_plastico_rigido.php |title=Rigid plastic - The market for recycling |author= |website=Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) |access-date=14 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225150957/http://www.cempre.org.br/ingles/fichas_tecnicas.php?lnk=ft_plastico_rigido.php |archive-date=25 December 2010}}
=Refrigerators=
There is a comprehensive refrigerator recycling program in Brazil.Programme Proklima. [http://www.giz.de/expertise/downloads/Fachexpertise/giz2011-en-proklima-projectsheet-brazil.pdf Introduction of a comprehensive refrigerator recycling programme in Brazil.] German Technical Cooperation. Retrieved 10 December 2014. They recycle refrigerators and freezers in order to reduce potential global warming, because they contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are ozone layer depleting gases with extremely high global warming potential (GWP).
References
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