Brazil's overall recycling rate is 4%, according to Abrelpe (Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Limpeza Pública e Resíduos Especiais)[1] but differs a lot from city to city.[2] Brazil has no structured municipal recycling programs.[2] Only 6.4% of Brazilian municipalities have official waste recycling programs [3] and more than 70% of Brazilians do not separate their recyclable materials into proper bins.[4] The recovery of recyclable material is largely left to waste pickers, who earn a living by collecting recyclables and selling them to private recycling companies.[2]
Main businesses in Brazil are taking a lead role in organizing recycling collection in the country's major cities.[5] In 1992, private companies from various areas established the Brazilian Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE), a nonprofit organization work for the promotion of recycling within the scope of comprehensive waste management as an initiative to build a better environmental image for their associates.[2][5][6] CEMPRE tries to increase the community's awareness of recycling and other solid waste issues through publications, technical research, seminars, and databases.[2][5][6]