Public policies and the establishment of recyclable material collectors' associations: a case study in the municipality of Chapecó/SC (1999 - 2022)

The purpose of this article was to analyze how local policies and the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) have influenced the process of establishing associations of recyclable material collectors in Chapeco/SC, making the municipality an atypical case in the national scene with a high number of associations and associates. The analysis was carried out from the closure of the municipal dump, in the year 1999, until 2022. We also sought to analyze the level of efficiency of these institutions, based on spreadsheets by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA, 2017), and their limitations as ventures inserted in the solidarity economy. The methodological proposal presented here follows the qualitative method. As a data collection technique, semistructured interviews were carried out with 12 presidents of the collectors' associations and a few associates who participated in the founding process, totaling 16 interviewees. For data evaluation, content analysis was used. The results indicate that local policies stimulated the foundation of a significant number of associations in the city of Chapeco and the support received by these enterprises, by the municipality, was stimulated by the advances brought by the PNRS. These enterprises are limited as a solidarity -based economy, as despite guaranteeing work and income for these recycling professionals, they maintained the precarious nature that still persists in the activity of garbage collection, which translated into the lack of labor rights, improvement in income, and working conditions.