The National Movement of Recyclable Material Collectors (MNCR) has established a secretariat to coordinate the activities of waste collectors during the Peoples' Summit, a parallel event to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) - Rio+20, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro between June 15 and June 23.

One of the coordinators of the MNCR Reference Center, Roberto Laureano, told Agência Brasil that the aim is to create a platform where the issue of waste collectors in Brazil and the rest of the world will be discussed. New sustainable technologies that can be used by waste collectors will also be presented. One example is electric cars that will help the workers to collect garbage, developed in partnership with Itaipu Binacional.

"The idea is to have a platform where Brazilian waste collectors can meet, talk and hold workshops", explained Laureano.

The MNCR is seeking financial support from companies and partner entities to cover the cost of around R$ 150,000 for rental of a stand to be mounted at Flamengo during the Peoples' Summit.

The collectors will participate in selective waste collection and environmental education activities during the conference. All material will go to the City of Rio collector's associations, which will be responsible for segregating the material collected. There are currently more than 500 Brazilian companies that have direct links with the MNCR.

 

Source:

Agência Brasil