The Unsung Heroes Putting Climate Solutions Into Practice | Aline Sousa | TED
Aline Sousa: The Role of Waste Pickers in Recycling and Climate Action
Introduction to Aline Sousa
- Aline Sousa introduces herself as a 34-year-old waste picker, part of a family legacy spanning three generations. She has seven children and began assisting her grandmother with recycling at the age of 14.
Importance of Recycling
- Aline emphasizes that recycling is transformative for waste pickers and their families, highlighting its role in mitigating methane emissions, which are significantly high due to improper waste management.
Historical Context and Current Challenges
- She discusses the historical neglect of waste management in Global South countries, where waste pickers play a crucial role despite lacking formal support. Aline represents Brasília's pickers in the National Movement of Pickers (NMP) and leads CENTCOOP, Brazil's second-largest cooperative central for waste pickers.
Demographics and Impact of Waste Pickers
- The NMP estimates between 300,000 to 1 million workers in Brazil’s recycling sector; notably, 72% are Black individuals like Aline, with over half being women who hold leadership roles. Globally, around 20 million workers contribute to recycling efforts.
Contribution to Recycling Efforts
- Despite marginalization within society's development processes, waste pickers are essential for effective recycling. They collect about 35% of total recyclable mass while many cities depend solely on their efforts for this work.
The Need for Sustainable Waste Management Solutions
Limitations of Current Systems
- Relying only on selling recyclables is unsustainable; cooperatives need compensation for their services. Organic waste constitutes half of urban refuse but is poorly recycled—only 0.5% undergoes composting.
Environmental Consequences
- Mismanagement leads to significant methane emissions from organic waste ending up in landfills. This issue extends beyond Brazil to other Global South nations facing similar challenges with organic refuse.
Strategies for Effective Waste Management
Addressing Organic Waste
- Aline argues that organic waste should not be viewed as a contaminant but rather requires an organized collection system to minimize contamination risks and greenhouse gas emissions.
Aligning with Global Goals
- By improving organic waste management practices, the sector can help meet international commitments like the Global Methane Pledge aimed at reducing emissions by at least 30% by 2030.
Empowering Communities Through Education and Job Creation
Community Engagement
- Effective environmental education must involve waste pickers who have proven success rates—cooperatives achieve over an 80% efficiency rate compared to less than 40% through companies.
Economic Opportunities
- Composting initiatives create significantly more jobs than traditional landfill operations. When led by pickers, job creation can increase dramatically—up to eleven times more impact is possible through these community-driven efforts.