Cooperatives in action: their key role in bringing the green revolution to Brazil with packaging recycling

The arrival of the green revolution in Brazil is being led by cooperatives and recycling. These initiatives are having a positive impact on the environment and promoting environmental awareness in Brazilian society. Thanks to the joint work between the cooperatives and the recycling programs, a more sustainable and responsible future for the planet is being fostered in this country.

With environmental concerns on the rise, Brazil is making great efforts to improve its waste management. The country, currently the largest garbage generator in Latin America, is seeing a boom in recycling-focused projects, especially through cooperatives that are turning waste reuse into a very profitable activity.

One case that demonstrates its efficiency is the work carried out by Coopercaps, a cooperative that last year managed to recycle 21,000 tons of waste in the city of Sao Paulo, which produces approximately 25% of all the country’s waste.

The cooperative was founded in 2003 by Telines Basílio do Nascimento Júnior, also known as Carioca. Since its inception, the cooperative has been very efficient in its organization with the objective of generating a positive revenue stream from the waste collection and sales business.
The cooperative’s stable financial situation has been key to its growth. They currently have five operating units in Sao Paulo and will soon open a sixth plant thanks to their good economic health. Recently, the cooperative joined a project in collaboration with Coca-Cola and the Avina Foundation to upgrade and improve its sixth unit with modern equipment and infrastructure.

This project also contemplates the creation of a Training and Advisory Center for cooperatives throughout the country, with the aim of improving their organization and management in productive, administrative, financial and commercial areas. The purpose is to make them independent and strengthen them so that they can compete effectively within the recycling chain.

According to Carioca, the construction of the sixth unit in São Paulo will bring significant change to the city. This unit was planned and designed by Coopercaps collectors and its semi-automated process will allow a daily production of up to 40 tons, which will surely be taken as a model to follow.
“In 2021, Coopercaps processed and marketed 21,000 tons of solid waste, still with five units. With the opening of the sixth unit, in addition to increasing the rate of materials that will be recycled by Coopercaps, 160 jobs will be directly generated,” said the president of the institution.
According to Carioca, modernizing the spaces where recycling cooperatives currently operate in a rudimentary manner will facilitate and increase the recycling rate. “The professionalization of the cooperatives is an objective to be achieved in the short and medium term in order to be able to apply for the contracting of our services with the municipality of Sao Paulo, which is a waste management service for which we should be remunerated.” concluded the manager.
Cooperatives play a crucial role in a country where only 4% of the waste produced is recycled, a far cry from the stated goal of reaching 20% by 2040.

According to the ISWA manager, if Brazil were to achieve its goal of recycling 20% of its waste, this could generate an economic turnover of close to US$11.6 billion in the recycling sector.

According to ISWA statistics, Brazil is responsible for 40% of the 550,000 tons of garbage produced daily in Latin America. In addition, what is to come in Brazil, there is a very solid guide established by the national solid waste plan (Planares), recently published in April. “Looking to the future, we have in Brazil a very strong guideline established by the national solid waste plan (Planares), published last April, which imposes the goal of recycling 20% of all waste generated by 2040.”The president director of the Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste (Abrelpe) also explained.

According to one expert, it is important to recognize that the recycling process is not only an environmental practice, but also a business that creates jobs and generates income. For this industry to grow and become more professional in the country and the region, it is crucial to take into account all the factors involved in its chain.
“The first thing is to have products on the market that can be recycled. The second step is to get citizens to separate waste, to dispose of it properly and to have an infrastructure for selective collection,” Silva Filho added.

Next, it is essential to have adequate infrastructure in place to sort and separate waste on a large scale, which will help reduce costs. In addition, it is essential that there is an industry ready and willing to receive these materials as inputs for their production. The ISWA leader stated that if any of the above-mentioned links are not working properly, they will not be able to make further progress in their goal of increasing the recycling rate.