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Update: Zero Waste Week 18-27 October 2019
Every action counts – In Guarujá, as part of the Zero Waste Week actions, a booth was set up at Paulo´s restaurant to talk about the commandments of sustainability and domestic composting.

What can we do?

It all generally starts like: It’s just a little bottle cap, just a candy warp… It’s just a small plastic bag, a straw… Well, that is why and how the planet is, to the top, full of trash. Literally to the top! Mount Everest, with its 8,848 meters altitude, is littered with trash and human feces. From the depths of the seas to the top of the world every environment has been touched by our misconduct: careless behaviour, lake of proper attitude.

A month ago I paddled with a group to Moisés beach, an inaccessible by land beach, here in Guarujá (SP). It is a 60 meters long beach, a cutie. As soon as we set foot on the shore we started collecting diapers, bottles, bottle caps, dog bags, cigarette butts, etc, etc. Everything ended up there floating, of course. What a sad picture.

Over 90% of our trash is recyclable

Very Action Counts, for better or worse. No one took 40 bottle caps and threw them into the sea, no, no. Someone had a innocent juice somewhere and left cap (the bottle) off the trash can. After that, the wind, gravity, rains, rivers did they do. I found a bottle of “Mel Rei”, a product from the state Ceará, way up north of the country, made by a factory called Itaueira Rei Alimentos. It may have floated from there or from the outskirts of Santos, of Campinas or Belo Horizonte (by a river)… from anywhere were someone did not pay attention, did not care enough.

Take care of the little bit of plastic in your hand… Please, pick that one from the ground, would you?… The small pieces will yield much in the end but so will our small actions. Trash ceases to be trash and becomes income when we give it proper care.

Here in Brazil the work done by Waste Pickers Cooperatives is a hard but rewarding work for many. Work for a portion of society that is usually on the fringe of the market and society itself. “Trash” appropriately handled generates dignity and well-being – a cleaner environment too!

Each of the items floating or sunk in the ocean is the product of some inconsequential behavior – from a person, government, corporation, you name it. So, what can we do!? Well, Every Action Counts! Do your part. Know that it is never just a little plastic, never too small an action. “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi said.

Let’s make it happen? Take action!

“Never Stop Dreaming” – Gonzaguinha

CooperBen is a Cooperative of waste pickers in Guarujá, SP (Put CC+Translate)