Around 5,000 tons of recyclable materials were disposed of correctly; income of cooperatives increased 85%

Paraná, August 16, 2023 – Klabin’s Solid Waste Program has been delivering significant results in terms of environmental and social impact in the municipalities across the Campos Gerais region in Paraná. In the last two years, the initiative helped dispose of 5,000 tons of waste correctly. With integrated planning among municipal governments, recyclable material sorting centers and the communities, the quantity and quality of materials sent for recycling increased. And the income of cooperatives rose by up to 85% from 2021.
 
With an investment of R$3 million between 2021 and 2023, the program, launched in partnership with and technical consulting services from Ambipar ViraSer, involves improving the infrastructure and acquisition of equipment for cooperatives, environmental education actions for communities and the implementation of new selective collection methodology in participating municipalities, among other action fronts. In recent years, over 3,000 people were impacted by environmental education actions. The initiative has also helped improve the working conditions and income of cooperative members and to manage solid waste in the municipalities of Telêmaco Borba, Ortigueira, Imbaú, Reserva, Tibagi, Sapopema and Rio Branco do Ivaí.
 
 “Priority issues for Klabin, such as social responsibility, circularity, commitment to the environment and support to communities, are the bedrock of our Solid Waste Program, which has been bringing out very positive changes,” said Uilson Paiva, Social Responsibility and Community Relations manager at Klabin.
 
According to Fabiano Paz Ferreira, 26, a recycling agent, the pace of work accelerated with the new equipment donated to the Recicla TB cooperative in Telêmaco Borba and that it made the work easier. “The conveyor belt and new press machines helped a lot and we could significantly improve our work conditions and income,” Ferreira said.
 
Clair Rodrigues da Silva, 49, resident of Telêmaco Borba, provides for her family with recycling. Mother of three daughters, she affirms that Klabin’s Solid Waste Program brought dignity to the activity. “I have been working with recycling for seven years and have witnessed every single change here. Everything has improved. The place where we used to sort solid waste looked like an open dump. Today, we have a covered shed that protects us from rain and wind. Besides, the material comes to us cleaner, which facilitates our work and improves our income,” she commented.
 
Naigler Jangada, environment secretary of Imbaú, celebrates the program’s positive results in her city. “After regularizing selective collection, we more than doubled the collection of recyclable materials. We also provided environmental education to 100% of our region to show the children the importance of sorting materials,” she said. In 2022, 47% of the materials recycled through Klabin’s Solid Waste Program was paper, followed by plastic (29%), glass (15%) and metals (9%).
 
Klabin’s Solid Waste Program – Created in 2015 to help the region comply with the National Solid Waste Policy (Law 12,305/2010), Klabin’s Solid Waste Program was initially launched in six municipalities across the Campos Gerais region (Telêmaco Borba, Ortigueira, Imbaú, Reserva, Tibagi and Rio Branco do Ivaí) in partnership with the cities making up the Caminhos do Tibagi consortium, which were joined by Sapopema in 2022. In 2021, the program was expanded with the start of technical cooperation between Klabin, the municipal governments and Ambipar ViraSer, which promotes alliances between recyclable material associations and cooperatives and society, with goals whose key premise is shared responsibility in solid waste management.
 
The work is based on selective collection, with the inclusion of recycling cooperatives and the engagement of communities in the proper and correct disposal of waste. Municipal governments are involved and prepared to join the program through training of public environmental managers, who receive tools to carry out the diagnosis, planning, management and control, as well as support in defining indicators to monitor the quality of the program in their municipality.
 
Solid waste management is an extremely important issue and is a priority for Klabin. It is included in four material topics of Klabin’s Sustainable Development Goals (KODS), which are aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda: Grassroots development; Impact on Communities; Social and Environmental Performance of Suppliers; and Waste, which provides for the maximum optimization of resources in which residues generate value when re-included in the production systems. 

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