Comlurb runs a campaign to encourage selective collection at Quinta da Boa Vista

The Chegando de Surpresa group, formed by Comlurb street cleaners, participated in the action at Quinta da Boa Vista - Rio City Hall

On Saturday (18/11), Comlurb held an awareness campaign to encourage selective waste collection in Quinta da Boa Vista. The event was attended by street cleaner Renato Sorriso, Grupo Chegando de Surpresa – a musical group made up of street cleaners who perform songs to raise awareness about the correct disposal of waste – and Teatro de Portas Abertas, also made up of street cleaners, who performed a short play that aims to stimulate children's interest in protecting the environment, making them more responsible adults who better understand the origin and correct final destination of waste. In addition to the awareness-raising work carried out by the company, students from Escolas Kids participated in the Feira de Emoções (Fair of Emotions) with fun activities using recyclable materials.

The campaign to encourage selective collection has been taking place every Saturday since March of last year, and its main objective is to increase the population's participation in separating potentially recyclable materials at home, in addition to reinforcing selective collection routes. The campaign has already taken place in dozens of highly visible points in the North, South, Central and West zones.

During the campaign, informative pamphlets are distributed, and technicians in the area answer questions and provide guidance to the population. Currently, Comlurb's selective collection service serves 122 neighborhoods in Rio. All collected material is delivered to the 28 waste picker cooperatives, which separate and sell the products. Recyclable waste thus guarantees work and income for the cooperative members and their families. Currently, door-to-door collection is done once a week, on alternate days to home collection. The population can find out about the day and time of collection in each street on the Comlurb website.

For the recycling cycle to be increasingly successful, it is essential that residents participate in this process, promoting the separation of waste in their homes. Without the participation of the population, the selective collection service becomes unproductive and expensive.