The “catadores” (informal garbage collectors) of Belo Horizonte, capital of the southern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, will launch their fifth Festival of Garbage and Citizenship. “We are fighting for recognition of the service we provide the cities, producing environmental, economic and social benefits,” Luis Henrique da Silva, head of the festival promoter, the Belo Horizonte Association of Collectors of Reusable Material, told Tierramérica.

One objective of the event is to connect Brazilian catadores with their counterparts in the rest of Latin America, and their movement with the government, experts and activists. Some 50,000 people are expected to take part in the festival.

Experiences of garbage collectors in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt and India; solid waste management; and people on the streets will be topics of debate.