The closure trajectory of the largest dumping ground in Latin America: Between centralization, decentralization and exclusion

Abstract

The largest open-air dump in Latin America was closed in 2018 after more than a decade of conflicts. We analyzed the trajectory of the dump closure (2010 to 2018) in light of the literature on implementation and participation in public policies. We conducted interviews and collected documents. The results pointed to two distinct moments in the policy implementation process: decentralization (2010 to 2014) and centralization (2014 to 2018). While Iin the first moment there was autonomy in the decision making of the actors involved in a movement of construction of several independent nuclei with deliberative capacity, in the second period, these nuclei were uncharacterized, and the decision process was structured in order to concentrate the actions in the figure of the governor.. At the same time that there were differences in the two periods analyzed, in both we observed the exclusion of the collectors in decision making. Therefore, even if the closure of the garbage dump was considered successful, the lack of participation of the collectors in decision-making processes generated an unfavorable socioeconomic situation for them, who lost their precarious economic activities dependent on recyclable solid waste and were unable to reposition themselves professionally in the short term.