The transition from waste collector to enviromental education agent: enviromental education in quality of life

DOI:10.15343/0104-7809.200630.4.7

Abstract

The Amigos do Lixo [“Waste Friends”] Cooperative is an initiative of a civil society group of Guaratinguetá, Sao Paulo State. The cooperative
is voluntarily committed to this activity and has been increasingly supported by private enterprises, public institutions, and the town hall. This project
was born from the need to improve the work and life conditions of waste collectors who worked in the town’s trash dump. All activities were planned in
such a way as to deal more generally with environmental and sanitary education, focusing on life quality and environment preservation. Initially, waste
collectors were identified by a research, and they had their socio-economic profile established, took part in professional capacitation courses, after which
they started to work with a personal identification, professional clothes and standard little carts in pre-established areas of the town. Thet then became
known as Environmental Agents. They take part in courses to learn how to write and read, and in socio-environmental events, give lectures, and are in
charge of environmental education program in communities and schools. From 2005 on, the cooperative also started to deal with social responsibility by
implementing the projects “Vivendo e Aprendendo” [Living and Learning] for the workers children, and “Centro Sensorial de Geração de Renda e Educação
Ambiental” [Sensorial Center for Income Genaration and Environmental Educatyion] for people with special needs. Thus, the aim of this work is to evaluate
and analyze life quality improvement for these waste collectors, considering the social-educative activities developed as a tool for analysis. The results
were achieved by observing the activities and interviewing the collectors.