Comlurb celebrates 50 years of foundation

Comlurb celebrated its 50th anniversary this Thursday (15/05) at the Palácio da Cidade in Botafogo. During the celebration, the company's oldest employees were honored on behalf of the company's approximately 19 workers. Comlurb was founded in 1975, when the first selection process for street cleaners was also held at Central do Brasil. Since then, the company has become the largest urban cleaning company in Latin America. The name street cleaner comes from the Frenchman Pedro Aleixo Gary, who lived in Rio and founded the first company responsible for cleaning the city's streets in the 1870s.

– Comlurb has many meanings for the city. It is the most visible face of the City Hall in the most incredible city in the world, Rio de Janeiro. You are the face of the city. You represent something essential: proof that public service, when well-run, really works. In a country where public service has been so often maligned, you show that it is possible to do things differently. You are the pride of Rio – declared Mayor Eduardo Paes, dressed in the street cleaners’ uniform.

During the event, the “Samba dos 50 Anos” (XNUMX Years Samba) was performed, composed by street cleaner Rafael Drumond. Rafael was accompanied on stage by samba singer Serginho do Porto. Also participating in the show were street cleaner André Chaves, singers Suelen Chataque and Job Mário de Almeida, and singer driver Jorginho da Flor.

The cultural program included literary presentations by street cleaner Valdeci Boareto and poets Bruna Maria Gomes and Maria das Graças Pimenta Ribeiro. During the ceremony, the video of the advertising campaign marking the Company's 50th anniversary was presented.

– Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Comlurb, a reference in solid waste management in Brazil and Latin America. A public company of the City of Rio whose main asset is its 19 employees, the majority of whom are street cleaners who take care of the city's cleanliness on a daily basis. It is a great joy to participate in this XNUMXth anniversary – said Comlurb's president, Jorge Arraes.

One of the honorees, street cleaner Renato Sorriso, celebrated Comlurb's 50th anniversary with the same enthusiasm that made him famous at Sapucaí. An employee of the company since 1995, he became a symbol of Carnival in 1998 when he improvised a samba with his broom during a break between parades. The audience's reaction, with applause and requests for an encore, made his presence a tradition at the party.

– Participating in Comlurb’s 50th anniversary is very special. It’s not just 50 years, it’s a collective history that represents Rio de Janeiro and inspires Brazil. Comlurb is not just the street cleaner, the broom or the machines. It’s a collective that cares for the well-being of the population. For me, these 50 years are like a movie of my life. I came from Guadalupe, I went through Madureira, Cavalcanti, Chapadão… I learned a lot and I want to learn more. What I feel is respect, affection and gratitude. It’s not just wearing the uniform, it’s having feelings – said Renato Sorriso.

Street Sweeper's Day is celebrated this Friday

Comlurb has more than 13 thousand street cleaners, who celebrate their day this Friday (16/05). Their duties include collecting garbage, sweeping streets, cutting grass, cleaning beaches, schools and hospitals, removing graffiti, pruning trees, cleaning tunnels and even acting as climbers, hanging from ropes cleaning hillsides in communities.

Currently, Comlurb removes approximately 9 tons of waste from the streets every day, including household, selective and public waste collection. The Company's fleet consists of 1.115 vehicles and equipment, including 550 heavy vehicles, 248 pieces of equipment, nine boats, 33 vans and trucks for revitalizing squares and parks, in addition to vehicles for transporting personnel and tools. The Company also has 1.100 new portable lawn mowers.

In 2024, 172.678 management operations were carried out, including pruning and tree removal. The Company revitalized 2.200 parks and squares throughout the city. Comlurb maintains a cleaning structure in Rio de Janeiro communities in all regions, with voluntary waste drop-off points or door-to-door collection. The communities have a routine operational routine for household collection and waste removal daily, twice a day. Community tricycles and tractors are used, suitable for roads that are difficult to access, with very sharp curves and steeper areas.

Comlurb is also present at all of the city's major events. Since the first major event, Rio-92, when street cleaners pioneered the separation of recyclable waste at Riocentro, nothing has happened in the city without Comlurb's help. The company has worked at the Pan American Games in 2007, the World Military Games in 2011, World Youth Day in 2013, the World Cup in 2014, and the Olympics and Paralympics in 2016. And, every year, it works non-stop during Carnival and New Year's Eve.

Exhibition and race

Still celebrating its 50th anniversary, Comlurb opened the exhibition “Expo Gari 2025 – Beyond the broom, the Magic of Art”, with works that show cultural diversity in various artistic genres, but in a unique language that involves awareness and citizenship: sustainable art. Since last Wednesday (14/05), the exhibition has been open to the public free of charge at the Galpão das Artes Urbanas Helio G Pellegrino, on Avenida Padre Leonel Franca, in Gávea.

Also to mark the anniversary, on June 1st, the Bora Correr Race and Walk, a special 50th anniversary edition, will be held on Copacabana Beach.

Category:

• City
• Comlurb
• News

15 May 2025

Appointments: 50 years Comlurb street cleaners cleaning trash City Hall of Rio to sweep