Recife Partners with Ellen MacArthur Foundation to Strengthen Recycling Infrastructure in Brazil

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has launched a collaboration with the City of Recife and Brazil’s federal government to explore a new model for improving urban waste collection and recycling systems, with the goal of reducing plastic pollution and advancing the country’s circular economy.

Supported by Clean Rivers and companies including Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever, the initiative will develop a city-wide action plan over the next six months. If the project proves viable, the partners aim to unlock up to R$300 million in multi-year investment for collection and recycling infrastructure, with implementation in Recife potentially beginning in 2027.

The initiative is based on the findings of the report Closing the Loop: Transforming Urban Waste Systems and Protecting Brazil's Rivers, published jointly by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Clean Rivers. Drawing on contributions from more than 80 organizations, including policymakers, waste picker representatives, businesses, academics, NGOs and financial institutions, the report examines opportunities to strengthen Brazil’s waste management system.

Recife was selected as the pilot city because its infrastructure, population and waste management challenges are considered representative of many urban areas across Brazil. Home to approximately 1.6 million residents and an extensive network of rivers and waterways, the city has increased plastics recycling by 16.6% in 2024, although only around 1% of households currently have access to formal recycling collection services.

Luisa Santiago, Latin America Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said Brazil has strong policy foundations and an extensive network of waste pickers but continues to face financing challenges that limit investment in collection and recycling systems. She said the Recife project is intended to test a collaborative model that could be adapted by other cities and help inform national policy.

The initiative also supports Brazil’s efforts to reduce plastic leakage into rivers and coastal ecosystems. Deborah Backus, Chief Executive Officer of Clean Rivers, said improving waste management infrastructure is critical to protecting freshwater systems while creating a framework that can attract broader public and private investment.

The project places particular emphasis on integrating Brazil’s estimated 800,000 waste pickers, who recover up to 90% of the country’s recyclable materials. The report recommends expanding their formal role within municipal recycling systems while improving compensation, working conditions and recognition of the services they provide.

According to the report, improving urban waste collection and recycling could recover approximately R$14 billion in recyclable materials currently lost to landfill. It also estimates that enhanced collection, sorting and processing systems could create around 9,300 jobs, while expanded plastics recycling supply chains could generate an additional 64,000 jobs by 2030.

Brazil generates some of the world's largest volumes of municipal waste despite collection services reaching more than 92% of the population. An estimated 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste is mismanaged each year, while less than 9% of recyclable municipal waste is ultimately recycled.

The partners said lessons from the Recife project could provide a practical framework for scaling more efficient and inclusive collection and recycling systems across Brazilian cities by 2040.

Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

SUNSHINE Spotlight: The Recife initiative combines public, private and nonprofit resources to test a scalable recycling model that could strengthen Brazil's waste collection infrastructure, improve plastic recovery and support the integration of waste pickers into the circular economy.