WASTE PICKERS MOBILISE AGAINST INCINERATOR IN SÃO BERNARDO DO CAMPO : São Paulo, Brazil

The municipal government of São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, proposed the construction of the Usina Verde incinerator for urban solid waste in 2012 through a public-private partnership with SBC Valorização de Resíduos Revita e Lara. The plant would burn 3,000 tonnes of waste daily and produce energy. Located in the Alvarenga neighbourhood, the former landfill area, it would replace recycling and waste-picking activities, raising opposition from waste picker organisations. These groups argued that the project would jeopardise recycling jobs and criticised the municipality for excluding them from the initial conversations. Waste pickers also lost municipal support, such as trucks for waste collection, and began negotiating conditions to continue their work at the plant. This conflict, one of Brazil’s longest-lasting, reflects broader opposition to incineration. The National Movement of the Pickers of Recyclable Material (MNCR) and civil society groups have protested against incineration since the 1990s. They filed lawsuits, organised public demonstrations, and condemned the environmental risks of the plant, especially its proximity to a water reservoir. Although the project was eventually abandoned in 2017 due to licensing issues, legal disputes between the municipality and the consortium, SBC, continue. The area remains polluted, awaiting remediation while clandestine dumping persists.