Recycling in Belo Horizonte, Brazil – An Overview of Inclusive Programming

Brazil is one of the world’s most progressive countries in integrating waste pickers in solid waste manage-ment systems, and Belo Horizonte has led the way. The capital city of Minas Gerais State in southeastern Brazil, Belo Horizonte has a long tradition of strong municipal planning that dates back to its development in the nineteenth century as Brazil’s first “planned” city. Waste management has been a municipal priority and concern in the city since 1900.

Belo Horizonte has been a pioneer in managing solid waste in Brazil. Socio-environmental concerns, such as improving the existing systems and generating income for the poor, encouraged improvements in solid waste management (SWM) systems in the city. This led to the adoption of an integrated solid waste management model in 1993, with a focus on promoting segregation at the sources, in order to minimize the harmful environmental impact caused by the waste itself and maximize the social and economic benefits for the city.

See the other briefs (4/5/6) on Belo Horizonte Solid Waste mangement at www.wiego.org/wiego/wiego-briefs

www.wiego.org/wiego-briefs