O papel do catador de material reciclável como agente social econômico: o protagonismo cidadão na livre iniciativa e a defesa do meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado

Abstract

The present work aims at analyzing the role of waste picker as a social and economic agent based on the citizen's role based on free initiative and, consequently, on the ecologically balanced environment. The interest in the subject is a continuity in research that involves the actors of the legal institute of urban solid waste, in this case, the waste picker. In addition, the correct disposal, scarcity and pollution caused by the accumulation of waste in seas, outer space and even illegal final disposal in other continents are throbbing themes in the current world scenario. In Brazil, the figure of the picker becomes prominent by adopting the "three erres" (3Rs) principle - reduce, recycle and reuse, continuity throughout the product life cycle, circular economy and solidary establishments, which includes selective collection and completely excludes the incineration plants of the Brazilian environmentally sound disposal system. The main objective of the work is to examine the waste picker as an environmental socioeconomic agent in the face of citizen protagonism and free initiative, because in order for the picker to carry out his activity in a dignified manner, it must be organized collectively through association or cooperative. Also, in order for the taster to become active it becomes relevant to have knowledge in various subjects even to be able to manage an association or cooperative, because of this, it is important to be protagonist of both his own activity and the participation of the legislative elaboration in which solid waste management. For this to happen, the National Solid Waste Policy obliges federated entities to create and promote an association and / or cooperative of waste pickers to receive the Union's incentive for solid waste management with a view to social inclusion and emancipation economic development. Thus, the present study was divided between the bibliographic and empirical method. In this, there are visits made in association and cooperatives of pickrs in the cities of João Pessoa, Natal and Recife in order to ascertain according to the principle of specialty, therefore, moving away from the comparative method, in which places the picker is independent economically and self-managing. Besides, local documents have been verified to understand the main relationship between the formalization of a document needed to obtain Union resources, ie the law on paper and the practice of the taster's activity. The question to be answered is that if the waste picker is an integral part of the market based on free initiative, how to guarantee the solidarity and low purchasing power of this activity in the face of the Brazilian economic order. Therefore, the hypothesis is that the picker organized collectively tends to be more politicized, therefore, it makes possible the exercise of citizen protagonism for its socioeconomic environmental agent reality.