"Bags, paper, pet bottles: everything is separated here. We don't lose anything!" says Bruna Mendes de Oliveira, secretary of the Recicla TB cooperative in Telêmaco Borba. She started at the cooperative two years ago and found the opportunity to secure a regular income and achieve her dreams. "I used to work as a bricklayer's helper, but sometimes there was work and sometimes not. So I sent my CV to the cooperative and they called me," she recalls. 

The young woman, who until then didn't know much about recycling, has been learning and recently her colleagues elected her as secretary. She is responsible for helping the cooperative members with their duties, as well as keeping track of time and recording the arrival of loads.

Bruna accompanied the renovation of the shed and the installation of new equipment, improvements brought about by the Solid Waste Program last year. For her, the investment came at a good time. "The equipment was old and the shed was open. When it rained, it flooded and we got wet feet, as well as the risk of electric shock from the conveyor belt. The materials also got wet. The presses had problems and we used to take money out of our own pockets to fix them."

The program has improved working conditions, increased productivity and, consequently, the income of the cooperative members. "I'm managing to build my house, I bought a motorcycle to come to work and I still have money left over to help my mother," says Bruna. 

 The Recicla TB Cooperative currently has 24 members. Together, they correctly dispose of 70 tons of waste a month!

 SEVEN MUNICIPALITIES BENEFITED 

The Solid Waste Program, developed in partnership with the Caminhos do Tibagi Consortium and the Ambipar ViraSer consultancy, also includes Imbaú, Ortigueira, Reserva, Rio Branco do Ivaí and Sapopema. The forms of action are diverse. Here are some of them: 

 >> Diagnosis of solid waste management in the municipality; 

>> Training waste pickers and public environmental agents; 

>> Support for the formation of recycling associations and cooperatives; 

>> Donation of equipment such as trucks, conveyors and presses to cooperatives; 

>> Development of an environmental education plan; 

>> Distribution of returnable bags for the population to collect waste.

This year, eight baling presses and a sorting belt were donated to associations and cooperatives in the participating municipalities. Last year, one of the highlights was the training workshop for public environmental managers. Representatives of the seven municipalities involved signed a cooperation agreement in favor of better practices in selective collection and recycling. 
 
All of the program's actions strengthen the National Solid Waste Policy, legislation that guides the public sector and companies in caring for the waste they generate.  
 

 HIGHLIGHTS  

>> More than R$3 million invested.  

>> An 85% increase in the cooperatives' income. 

>> More than 3,000 people impacted by environmental education actions.

FAIR EXCHANGES RECYCLABLES FOR FOOD

Good solid waste management brings benefits to many areas. An example of this is what happens in Telêmaco Borba with the Feira do Bem. The initiative, launched in 2019, strengthens recycling, family farming and guarantees food on the table for low-income families. All you have to do is take recyclable materials to one of the collection points and exchange them for fresh vegetables and fruit.  

Maurício Diógenes de Castro, head of Telêmaco Borba's Public Services Division and one of the creators of the fair, is proud of the results. "The environment gains from the correct disposal of the materials, which turn into money in the pockets of the cooperative members," he says. For him, the Solid Waste Program is a strong ally of the initiative. "It has provided training and a better working structure for the cooperative members. Our population is also more motivated to recycle with the returnable bags. It's a chain that can only improve and grow".

>> 34 exchange points in Telêmaco Borba and Vila Rural. 

>> 3 kilos of waste are exchanged for 1 kilo of food. 

>> Plastic, paper, glass and metals can be exchanged. 

>> 79 tons per month: this is the average amount of food delivered by the Fair in 2023. 

>> More than 100 producers from Telêmaco Borba and neighboring municipalities supply food.

Most of them are assisted by Matas Sociais, a social program also developed by Klabin. 

>> More than 2,000 tons of waste collected and disposed of correctly in 2022.

Unsure about how to separate waste? Check out tips from the Recicla TB Cooperative.