From 2002 to 2004, three case studies concerning garbage gatherer's organizations, legally called cooperatives, were carried out in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Based on the collected data, this article suggests the semantic of garbage (negative and positive) as an important aspect to be considered by the authorities when implementing public policies in this area. The negative semantic seems to be associated with hygienic aspects, what is considered an obstacle to these professionals. At the same time, the positive semantic does not improve their working conditions. This article discusses the possibility of organizing the gatherers in cooperatives as a challenge to the government, which needs to find a better way to interaction with this specific segment in order to understand aspects such as the complexity of their organizations (informal institutions) and the relevance of the semantic of garbage in their economic and social lives.
semantic of garbage; garbage gatherers; cooperative; recycling; public policy
