Representatives from cities and specialists in solid waste management met at UMAPAZ (Open University for the Environment and Culture of Peace) in São Paulo to present the preliminary results of the project. Sustainable and Integrated Solid Waste Management in Events, implemented by ICLEI in partnership with Useful Simple Projects and funded by the British Embassy.

The project, which began in March 2013, had the primary objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through solid waste management at large events. Initially conceived for application at sporting events in three cities – Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo – the initiative took a different turn, focusing instead on specific events within each city's regional context, explains Igor de Reis Albuquerque, Manager of Climate Change at ICLEI – South America Secretariat, who is responsible for its implementation.

Therefore, in São Paulo the initiative was applied at the Virada Cultural, an annual 24-hour non-stop event with musical performances, cinema, among others. In the City of Recife, carnival, which brought together approximately 810 thousand people in 2014, was chosen for its application, and in the City of Rio de Janeiro, the famous New Year's Eve party on Copacabana Beach.

The Director of Sustainability at Useful Simple Projects (USP), Dan Epstein, was present at the launch and highlighted the importance of the partnership with ICLEI, saying, “What we achieved in 7 years could be achieved by other organisations in 3 years through our experience,” regarding USP's pioneering initiative in solid waste management at the London 2012 Olympics.

Dan Epstein also highlighted the need for an integrated process in waste management, which should encompass the private sector, civil society, and the public sector. Regarding civil society, the Director stated that we need to make things easier for citizens during an event, creating a pathway for them to take the right action concerning waste disposal.

The attendees cited some examples of alternatives, such as investing in the design of waste bins, applying explanatory labels to products, among others. Dan advocated for the creation of a strategy that was not only integrated but also unique, whereby cities would not need to spend so much time developing their own guidelines, but rather collectively build a single plan to be replicated by all interested cities.

Another intervention in the discussion group was made by Mervin Jones, Head of Collaborative Programmes at WRAP, from the UK, who worked in partnership with Useful Simple Projects on solid waste management for the London Olympics. Mervin explained that one of the main limitations at the start of the project was the difficulty in obtaining information and, often, the lack of cooperation from the private sector with relevant data. On this, the expert says that the best way forward is still persistence and trying to show the private sector that the advantages are also economic.

To resolve this problem, they developed a digital tool where the generation of waste for a specific event can be estimated by filtering information provided by the user. The results are not entirely accurate with exact figures, but they serve as indicators for a starting point in the development of the plan.

After some details on the project's implementation, Igor de Albuquerque presented the results for each city:

São Paulo In the figure of AMLURB – Municipal Authority for Urban Cleaning, the City Hall intensified some eco-friendly actions during the 2014 Virada Cultural, such as expanding solid waste collection and adequately separating this debris. It applied the strategy of sharing environmental responsibility, mainly through the installation of Ecopontos (Eco-Points).

Recife During the 2014 carnival, which brought together 810,000 people, 268 containers (large bins) were installed at various points in the city. The ‘Limpei Recife Project’ was implemented, in which revellers collected and handed over cans and PET bottles to EMLURB collaborators who were dressed in fun outfits, holding a sign with the programme's identification and with a bin stuck to their backs.

Rio de Janeiro: On New Year's Eve 2013/2014, 11 eco-points with 22 containers (2 per eco-point) were installed to make selective collection more effective, and around 400 street cleaners worked on maintaining the cleanliness of the seafront.

With the project's implementation, the main legacies left for the involved Cities are: optimisation of recyclable collection, increased civil society participation, professionalisation of waste pickers, guidelines for sustainable purchasing and tenders, and the application of technology and innovation.

Guilherme Johnston, Project Manager at the British Embassy in Brazil, closed the event with some words of thanks and highlighted the performance of everyone involved during the project's implementation. Present at the event were Antônio Barbosa, CEO of EMLURB of the Recife City Council, representatives from AMLURB / São Paulo City Council, the Secretary for Green and Environment of the State of São Paulo, the Municipal Secretariat for International Relations of SP, the Olympic Management Committee of Rio de Janeiro, CETESB, and representatives from the Cities of Itu, Campinas, and Sorocaba.

Access the Manual for the Integrated and Sustainable Management of Solid Waste at Events