Another waste picker dies and municipalities insist on keeping dumpsites open

On September 2nd, a waste picker died in a work-related accident at the Estrutural dumpsite in Brasília. Chico Moura, 57, who worked at the Estrutural dump for 25 years, was buried and then crushed by the machines that cover the waste at the dumpsite. In 2014 alone, four people have died inside the dump. But the government of Brasília has invested nothing in the closure of its open dumps and in the inclusion of waste pickers. The accident that killed Chico Moura happened exactly one month after the deadline for the closure of open dumps across Brazil. On September 3, a commission of federal deputies voted to extend for another eight years the deadline for municipalities to close their open dumps. The national movement of waste pickers (MNCR) is vehemently against extending this deadline, which would mean a regression and a betrayal of the National Solid Waste Management Policy. Access the complete article (in Portuguese).