Overview of the Legal Framework for Inclusion of Informal Recyclers in Solid Waste Management in Brazil

During the last two decades, Brazil has moved to replace repressive policies on waste picking with new inclusive policies that give legal backing to redistributive measures and social recognition of informal waste picker organizations. As a result, Brazil has become one of the most progressive countries worldwide in its inclusive policies regarding waste pickers.

Laws at national, state or local levels, decrees, ordinances and regulations form the backbone upon which integrative waste management schemes are built.

The intention of this article is to give a brief overview of the legal framework concerning the integration

of informal collectors of recyclables (or waste pickers) in solid waste management (SWM) in Brazil. It also explains the context in which this legal framework emerged in the country. This paper reviews the most important laws at the federal level and also gives examples of the legal body in support of social inclusion of waste pickers at state and municipal levels.

See the other WIEGO briefs (3/4/5) on Solid Waste Management in Belo Horizonte at www.wiego.org/wiego/wiego-briefs.

www.wiego.org/wiego-briefs