3.2.3. Social aspects
According to ABIPET (2009), although the recycled PET packaging
originates in alternative collection systems done by scavengers
and their cooperatives, or by companies dedicated to this task, a
large portion of the packaging ends up being sent to dumping areas.
This is acommonsystem in Brazil for the disposal of municipal solid
waste. The two main reasons for this are a lack of garbage collection,
mainly in poorer communities, and a habit of Brazilians for
discarding trash into the rivers and streets.
The collection in dumping areas results in serious problems. On
the one hand, it is possible to observe Brazilian adults and children
in unhealthy and sub-human conditions scavenging for food, subjecting
themselves to different forms of contagion and infection in
an effort to find products to sell. Moreover, the product collected
in landfills is heavily contaminated with grease, paints, heavy metals
and dirt in general. The contaminated package requires a more
expensive cleaning process, which devalues the package. Another
relevant point is that the collector receives a reduced value for the
material, either because the product is contaminated, or by action of
an intermediary who resells the product to the recycling industry.
In Brazil, alternative collection systems for PET packaging carried
out by scavengers and cooperatives, contribute to recruiting
unskilled people. By discarding the waste properly, society contributes
to preserving the environment and to achieving continuous
improvement in quality of life. This enables the development of
standards and working conditions as well as the development of
social responsibility in products and services.