FROM RECLAIMER INTEGRATION TO GETTING INTEGRATED INTO THEIR RECYCLINGSCAPE: THREE STORIES FROM BRAZIL
- Available online in Detritus - Volume 34 - March 2026
- Pages 45-53
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Released under All rights reserved
Copyright: © 2025 CISA Publisher
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Catadores in Brazil, reclaimers in South Africa, diverters in Canada, recyclers (recicladores) in other South American countries, waste pickers in India and all over the world. Who are informal workers acting at the core of the circular economy? Identifying and acknowledging their role in the economic, social and political system is not merely a semantic exercise but a critical intervention in transforming waste governance, changing our understanding of waste and waste production, and doing justice to a population whose rights have historically been denied. Focusing on Brazil, where catadores are formally recognized as a professional category by law and in official job classifications and statistics, this study supports the recognition of catadores’ work as a political work, and the need to overcome a charity-driven, paternalistic perspective that reproduces marginalization rather than supporting integration. A research agenda is put forward to advance the debate on integration and reclimers from a transformative (i.e., systemic change) perspective.Keywords
Editorial History
- Received: 14 Nov 2025
- Revised: 25 Jan 2026
- Accepted: 17 Feb 2026
- Available online: 31 Mar 2026
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