Inclusive Recycling in Waste Picker Cooperatives in Brazil: Impacts of COVID-19 Comparative Analysis 2020-2021
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Key Points:
Cooperatives were able to quickly implement COVID-19 protocols in the sorting sheds, thus achieving greater credibility with public officers and greater security for cooperative members.
The survey showed a significant increase in the number of suspected as well as confirmed cases of COVID-19. The number of confirmed cases declared in the survey had increased 40 per cent compared to the 2020 poll.
The vaccination rate among waste pickers in this sample reached 78 per cent.
Reported coping actions included capacity-building courses on COVID-19 protocols and fundraising campaigns for strengthening waste pickers’ work.
Cooperatives acted as a cushion against the impact of economic crises for waste pickers as many organizations had access to support including from the reverse logistics systems in place in Brazil.
All surveyed cooperatives take part in reverse logistics programmes. This could have been a determining factor in their more positive adaptive responses during the first half of 2021, since industries have developed several programmes to support cooperatives in the pandemic.
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