Cooperatives of waste pickers as an alternative to social exclusion and its relationship with the homeless population

Abstract

Informal employment, which marks the reality of most Brazilian working relationships, plus the characteristics of the homeless population, constitute a social background prone to producing alternative forms of organizing work. Informal employment, as well as the homeless population, has a markedly heterogeneous composition and origin; thus, it becomes essential that any public policy related to these aspects consider their specificities. In this context, waste pickers’ co-operatives appeared, consisting of ex-waste pickers and ex-homeless people, as an alternative to informality in the search for work and citizenship, within the perspective of self-management. Through an analysis of current and historical characterization experiments on waste pickers’ co-operatives in Brazil, this article aims to show the capacity of the inclusive cooperative model and the relevance of these partnerships with government and with other players in society. For this purpose, it is essential to approach the successful experiences of waster pickers who, united through the co-operatives, with the participation of public and /or independently of it – were able to achieve social inclusion. Self-management is emerging as well, providing a real alternative to those who are marginalized by the formal system of work.