Catadores e catadoras de resíduos sólidos em Parintins/AM: um estudo sobre as condições socioeconômicas e o acesso às políticas de seguridade social

Abstract

This study investigated the socioeconomic conditions and access to social security policies of solid waste collectors working in the municipality of Parintins. The research was based on the understanding that the environmental crisis is a direct manifestation of the capitalist system's logic of exploitation and accumulation, which drives social marginalization and socioeconomic and environmental vulnerability. In this context, collectors emerge due to poverty and lack of formal employment, playing a crucial role in the recycling chain, despite facing extreme socioeconomic precariousness. The study sought to analyze how Social Security (Health, Social Security, and Social Assistance) is implemented as a right for this population of informal workers. The study revealed that the collectors work in a public landfill, inappropriately referred to as a "controlled landfill," characterized by poor management and unhealthiness. The category's profile is highly vulnerable, with the majority being Black and brown women with low incomes and large families. Working conditions are dangerous, with exposure to contamination and health problems such as cuts, fungal infections, and heat stroke due to insufficient use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Regarding access to Social Security, it was observed that the Health Policy is predominantly accessed for curative purposes, after illness, rather than preventive measures. Social Security is the most inaccessible, given the informal nature of the activity and bureaucratic and technological barriers, such as lack of familiarity with the "Meu INSS" app, which impede contributions and benefit claims. Social Assistance proved to be the most prevalent, primarily through income transfer programs such as Bolsa Família and Auxílio Estadual, although many workers reported not having a Single Registry (CadÚnico), an essential gateway to these programs. It is concluded that the inclusion and guarantee of the social rights of collectors, despite being recognized by the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS), continue to be a challenge, reinforcing the need for more articulated and less bureaucratic public policies.