It is almost unanimous: recycling is considered important for the future of the country and the world by 99% of Brazilians, according to a Datafolha survey that investigated the population's perception and their daily waste separation practices. If the scarcity of selective collection is a bottleneck, since only 32% of Brazilian municipalities have some form of this type of collection, according to data from the National Sanitation Information System (Snis), the presence of this service is also not a guarantee of waste separation. The survey indicates that 54% of Brazilians claim to have selective collection where they live. Even so, 1 in 3 (33%) of those who have access to this service do not separate their recyclable waste at home. National in scope, the survey interviewed 2,010 people in 112 municipalities across all regions of the country, between May 13 and 21. The margin of error is two points more or less.

"The data shows the need for the expansion of selective collection and, at the same time, the waste of this service, which is paid for with public resources from the municipalities and is not always utilized by the population," evaluates Flávio Ribeiro, a consultant in circular economy and advisor to the UN Global Compact in this area. On the other hand, with or without collection, 71% of the Brazilian population say they separate recyclable waste — 51% say they always do, 17% only occasionally, and 4% rarely. This engagement contrasts with the official data on recycling in the country. Brazil only recycles 4% of its solid waste with this potential.

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