Waste pickers are celebrated in a Brazilian postal stamp

At the opening of Expocatadores, held on Dec. 1, 2014 in São Paulo, the Brazilian postal service issued a stamp dedicated to the country’s waste pickers. The stamp contains the image of the Brazilian flag with an Ipê tree and art produced by the National Brazilian Movement of Waste Pickers (MNCR). The image displays waste pickers organizing and their inclusion in municipalities’ waste management systems, as a result of the National Solid Waste Management Policy. The objective of issuing the postal stamp is to bring visibility to the advances that waste pickers have made and help promote acceptance of the profession, which has been recognized by the national department of labor policy since 2002. The issuing of this postal stamp is another form of eternalizing and valuing a moment, a date, or an institution. In addition, it is an art form that enchants people from diverse parts of the world. With the issue of this postal stamp, the postal service pays homage to and gives prestige to professional waste pickers. Access the complete article (in Portuguese).