The cooperative project, named Recicla Cidade (Recycle City), involves public authorities and attempts to engage entire communities by focusing on social mobilisation and environmental awareness campaigns.
Teaming up to support local efforts
The purpose of Recicla Cidade (Recycle City) is to improve waste collection in urban environments by fostering cooperation between the public and private spheres while involving ordinary citizens. It began as a cooperative effort between Espaço Urbano and Tetra Pak, engaging local authorities and recycling cooperatives in environmental education actions to increase recycling rates and the quantity and quality of waste that is correctly disposed of.
Recicla Cidade's idea is to establish improved waste disposal and recycling at the local level. When the project begins in a particular municipality, Tetra Pak lends its support for a full year, until the local participants can continue the initiatives independently. In the first stages, training is provided for organisations such as local recyclable materials cooperatives and city managers. It includes actions like environmental education for the community at schools or other public settings. After a year, the local actors should have the knowledge, relationships, standards and routines to continue operating and developing waste disposal and recycling efforts.
Measurable outcomes, official recognition
Between 2019 and 2022, Recicla Cidade achieved positive results in 21 cities in the State of São Paulo, impacting around six million people through mobilisation actions and certifying some 10 thousand individuals via training courses. It has carried out roughly 1,500 awareness actions and contributed toward the application of approximately 200 public policies, such as laws, decrees and pioneering initiatives. In total, the program facilitated the correct disposal of around 23.8 thousand tonnes of recyclable waste.
Recicla Cidade has received a total of six awards for successfully contributing to the United Nation’s SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). These include first place in the ODS Brasil 2022 Strategy Award and the “Regional Governance and Intermunicipal Cooperation” category of the SEBRAE Mayor Entrepreneur Award (PSPE), represented by the city of Salesópolis.
Collective commitment to sustainability
In 2023, Recicla Cidade began operating in eight more cities in the State of São Paulo. Tetra Pak aims to develop the project in different regions, especially where Tetra Pak’s customers are present. To date, the project has functioned in 30 municipalities in Brazil.
Recicla Cidade aims to build upon past successes and bring the project to more municipalities. It plans to continue establishing legacies of environmental responsibility at the local level by educating people and facilitating cooperation between public authorities, local organisations and entire communities.
