Waste pickers from São Caetano do Sul abandoned amid the crisis

On June 8, 2020, amid the worst sanitary, economic and humanitarian crisis of the new millennium, the autarchy responsible for waste management in the municipality of São Caetano do Sul, one of the richest in the ABC region in São Paulo, cancelled the contract they had with the Waste Pickers and Recyclers Cooperative from São Caetano do Sul (COOPTRESC) since 2016. The note above sets a 30-day deadline for the cooperative members to abandon their workplace, with no justification. This is an inhuman measure taken within a context of crisis in which all the work routines have been violently altered. It should be stressed that several municipalities, including the capital city, São Paulo, aided waste pickers who were prevented from working due to the crisis.

We strongly protest against such inhuman and ungrateful arbitrary action, which takes away the livelihood of 26 families of essential environmental service providers for the sake of environmental quality and people’s health.