00:00:56,You'd better grab that one,|it's full.
00:01:12,Hand me that plate, Talita.
00:01:15,I had asked a guy to make|a cable for me...
00:01:17,And now there's one just|like it in this box here.
00:01:22,We should have loaded|those ones first.
00:01:27,Now it'll be really tricky.
00:02:09,I wonder if Warlen will find|the guys from Guarulhos.
00:02:17,If they want to come to the|barbecue, they can come.
00:02:20,Otherwise, it's fine too.
00:02:24,How are you?
00:02:26,I was going to call you to see|if you have anything for
me.
00:02:28,Not right now.|I'll call you tomorrow.
00:02:30,It's about recycling.|Maybe we could have
00:02:35,an interview with you about|the stuff we recycle.
00:02:39,See you later!
00:02:43,We can't turn left here...|There it is. Answer it,
Nilda.
00:02:51,What's up?
00:02:56,What?
00:03:01,Speak louder, Warlen.|I can't understand a word!
00:03:14,Jeez!|Look at the traffic!
00:03:18,We're screwed!
00:03:21,It doesn't matter which way|we go. It's all clogged up.
00:03:27,And it's Thursday,|not Friday!
00:03:36,What happened with Marcília's|driving lessons
00:03:39,that you were going|to pay for?
00:03:40,She has to pay|her damn bricklayer.
 
00:03:47,Since I got her a good computer,|look what happened.
00:03:54,Meeting good-for-nothing guys|on the damn Internet.
00:03:59,She's even neglecting|the Church!
00:04:02,I'm sure she's not practising|on the piano anymore.
00:04:06,Paying for the piano...|Paying the bricklayer...
00:04:10,And now she wants to pay|for driving school?
00:04:13,Weren't you going|to pay for that?
00:04:16,I'll get her started.

00:05:13,It's on the top floor.
00:05:20,You gotta carry that up all|the way to the third floor?
00:05:23,Yeah.|Don't mind me.
00:05:38,There's still one more box.
00:05:41,This is our cross to bear.
00:05:43,We go around collecting|garbage to recycle.
00:05:46,The same goes for the small|companies involved.
00:05:48,If not for them, all this|material would be thrown out.
00:05:54,Alright, guys?

00:06:10,Dad, I'm going to move this|stuff, so we can rearrange
it.
00:06:12,This is what makes me upset|with my children. Do you
see?
00:06:17,They don't do anything|like I tell them to!
00:06:19,If you take something|from somewhere,
00:06:21,when you're done using it,|put it back!
00:06:23,Move that from here.|Put it there.
00:06:24,This should have been|taken apart, already!
00:06:28,Hang on, Lourdes. Wait a|minute. Do you understand?
00:06:31,If you just throw the stuff on|top of the rest in any
old way,
00:06:35,it won't do any good!|Let's put this over here.
00:06:43,No. Don't put that there.
00:06:49,You can put it here.|Everything has its own place.
00:06:52,Samuel! Help me put|this here, like this.

00:06:56,-Good morning!|-Morning.
00:06:58,Today I have a whole bunch|of things for you to test.
00:07:03,This one is the priority.|I want to know
00:07:06,if it can be restored,|otherwise I'll scrap it.
00:07:09,I didn't touch anything,|because I can't see any
cables.
00:07:13,Do you think you|can check it out?
00:07:16,Sure.
00:07:17,There are other things too,|like those power supplies.
00:07:20,You can test them, and then|keep 10 for yourself.
00:07:24,Can you carry it by yourself|or do you need a hand?

00:07:28,Tubes are a problem.|When you can't recycle them,
00:07:32,you have to find somewhere|to send them.
00:07:42,-Let's put it down here.|-On the floor?
00:07:46,Yeah. Let's leave it|on the floor
00:07:49,while I clear some|space in there.
00:07:52,Claudinês is an excellent|neighbor.
00:07:55,We often exchange favors.
00:07:58,Sometimes he gets me stuff|that I can reuse.
00:08:02,He saves some for himself|and some for me.
00:08:04,So I don't even charge|him for my work.
00:08:10,I would say I work with him|about twice a week.
00:08:14,Whenever he needs me,|I make myself available.
00:08:16,I'll give you an answer|in a while.
00:08:18,Alright.

00:08:24,Take the monitor.
00:08:27,We have enough chairs to|set up a soccer stadium!
00:08:30,-Is this aluminium?|-No. Iron.
00:08:36,-There's 4 of that kind already.|-Yeah.
00:08:40,4. That's a full set|of chairs.
00:08:44,-How about this? A door.|-Plastic, right?

00:08:48,Put that there with|the other bags.
00:08:53,Don't let any more bags|open up like that!
00:08:56,Let me have a look. See,|you can loosen that like this.
00:09:00,You remove the board,|which is lodged here.
00:09:09,When there's no bolts,|you just pull it off.

00:09:12,One day, he was going|around with his truck,
00:09:14,picking up recyclable material|that people had left
outside.
00:09:17,Cardboard, tin cans and stuff.|And we had to move fast,
00:09:20,because there was a garbage|truck on the street.
00:09:22,He was ahead of us,|and we were racing him!
00:09:25,And my brothers up ahead|would whistle and shout,
00:09:28,to let us know which way|he was going.
00:09:30,That day I saw a big|pile of cardboard,
00:09:36,and I started grabbing it and|throwing it on the truck.

00:09:40,Suddenly a man jumped up|from out of the pile.
00:09:45,"Hey! That's my bed!"|It was the middle of the night.
00:09:48,That was pretty funny.

00:09:57,There's still some|more acrylic here.
00:09:59,Usually we put|it all together.
00:10:00,It doesn't go together with|the plastic, right?
00:10:03,It's going to the same place,|but it's a different
price.
00:10:06,Lourdes, take over here.|And get me some coffee.
00:10:08,Just a little, like this.
00:10:14,I lived on the streets|as a girl. He found me
00:10:17,and asked me about my life,|and why I lived there.
00:10:22,And so I explained what|had happened to me.
00:10:26,He asked if I wanted|to live with him,
00:10:27,which was all I wanted, really.|To have an adult with
me.
00:10:31,"But will you be able|to run a household?"
00:10:36,"Because this is my|home right here."
00:10:38,I pulled up the seat and|showed her the car.
00:10:41,"Look at my clothes there."
00:10:43,We spent a year and 8 months|living out of cars.

00:10:53,I'd often tell him how I|missed my grandparents,
00:10:56,and he'd always say "Someday we'll|go see them.
Someday."
00:11:00,Once he worked|for a whole week.
00:11:02,I didn't understand why|he was working like that.
00:11:08,Then he told me he was selling|the van. It was our
home!
00:11:14,It was our home and|our workplace!
00:11:16,How could he sell it?|But he did.
00:11:18,He said "Now that|we have no home,
00:11:21,we have no choice|but to live in a hotel".
00:11:22,When we got there he said,|"Choose your best clothes
00:11:26,and let's throw away|the rest.
00:11:29,We won't be able to take it all|with us." "Take it
where?"

00:11:32,"Tomorrow morning we're|going to Ceará.
00:11:34,I have it all planned out."
00:11:37,At that moment...|what joy!

00:11:44,Whatever we needed from|each other, we just had to ask.
00:11:47,One day he said,|"Let's go back to São Paulo?
00:11:53,We don't have a penny|in our pockets."
00:11:54,I said, "Let's go".|And we walked the whole way.
00:11:57,Nobody believes when I say we|walked 1800 miles to get
here.
00:12:00,When we got here we had no|money and nowhere to sleep.
00:12:06,Without giving it a second|thought, we set up our stuff
00:12:08,and went to sleep|under a bridge.
00:12:10,Before long he had|made some money
00:12:11,and borrowed a car|so we could work.
00:12:15,It was great! Three days later,|we had our own car.
00:12:19,He was already doing business,|making connections.
00:12:21,He's always been|like that.
00:12:23,During the day we|collected cardboard,
00:12:26,and at night we worked|the bus route.
00:12:30,I collected the money|and he drove the bus.
00:12:34,That's when I started, "Honey,|I want to have a child".

00:12:49,Claudinês was a good husband|and a good father.
00:12:54,We split up because I'm|incapable of keeping a routine.
00:12:59,He put me in a house,|where I had my daughter...
00:13:01,Then came the other kids,|and she was stuck at home,
00:13:05,so she became more jealous.
00:13:07,In the end, that's what|caused our divorce.

00:13:10,Now I look at this home,|I like all his wives
00:13:15,and I never had a problem|with any of them.
00:13:17,I have a lot of love for these|two who live here,
00:13:21,and they always treat me|in a very special way.
00:13:24,I don't know if I see them|as sisters or as daughters,
00:13:28,which I prefer!|I love having children!
00:13:32,Everyone who is here|will eat.
00:13:34,I've been waiting|until now!
00:13:36,And there's one over there|who can't contain himself.

00:13:41,Would you give Grandma|some of that? Thanks.

00:13:49,I found a scanner!
00:13:54,Now I'm going to test it,|to see if I can use the
parts.

00:14:00,Yeah. I give up on this one.
00:14:03,On the motherboard... I mean,|I give up on it for
today.
00:14:06,Another day I'll make it work.|When it's on the table
it works,
00:14:11,but once you put it inside|the computer...
00:14:15,I'm putting together|a computer
00:14:18,out of parts I found|in the trash.
00:14:21,We send the parts that are|beyond repair to the plant
00:14:24,as scrap metal.
00:14:27,We sell them very cheaply,|for around R$250 or R$300.
00:14:33,This one is for|the whole family.
00:14:39,I used to work in Tatuapé,|and I met him there.
00:14:43,I'm from Minas Gerais.|We always have this illusion
00:14:47,that we'll come to São Paulo|and change our lives.
00:14:49,She was a passenger|in my van,
00:14:50,and she would always tell|stories about her life.
00:14:54,At times, she would show up|already close to tears.
00:14:57,Another passenger would ask|her what was the matter,
00:15:00,and she'd tell her story.|And I'd always listen.
00:15:02,The kid who collected the money|started calling her
"Mom".
00:15:07,He used to tell her,|"You ought to marry my Dad".
00:15:12,That joke got me thinking...
00:15:15,So one day I saw her crying,| and I said to her,
00:15:19,"I have an empty house",|which was true.
00:15:21,I had one house where|I lived with Lourdes,
00:15:22,and this other one,|which was more secluded.
00:15:25,So I told her,|"I have an empty house.
00:15:28,Won't you come live with me?"|She looked at me and told
me
00:15:33,she would think about it.|I told her to think about it
00:15:35,while I dropped off the|next passengers,
00:15:38,and to wait for me at the corner|by the bakery, with
her son.
00:15:42,When I went back I|spotted her from afar.
00:15:46,She had Leandro in her arms|and a bag of clothes.
00:15:48,He's not my son.|I don't like saying that,
00:15:51,because when they moved in|with me, he was 2 months
old.
00:15:54,I love that boy.|I raised him.
00:15:58,Every now and then I'll have|an argument with my
children,
00:16:03,which is normal,|but never with Leandro.
00:16:07,He never gave me|a dirty look.
 
00:16:12,Lia was a passenger|of mine too.
00:16:15,I used to pick her up with|her aunt and a cousin.
00:16:17,It was the first bus|of the day.
00:16:22,I would usually buy a candy bar|to give to my
passengers.
00:16:26,Not the men,|only the women.
00:16:29,So her aunt, Maria, would come|in with her and her
cousin,
00:16:33,and everyone would say|hello except Lia.

00:16:36,She would just sit there|with her arms crossed,
00:16:38,very serious,|looking straight ahead.
00:16:41,I'd give her aunt and her|cousin the candy bars,
00:16:44,but since she wouldn't|say hello to me,
00:16:46,or even uncross her arms,
00:16:47,I would put the candy bar|on her arm like this.
00:16:51,If we arrived early,|and had to wait 15 minutes
00:16:55,for the bus doors to open,
00:16:57,she would stay like that|for the full 15 minutes.
00:16:59,Like a statue. With the candy|bar there, sitting on her
arm.
00:17:01,When the bus door opened,|she would keep her arms
crossed
00:17:06,as she climbed the steps|and took a seat.
00:17:09,Only then would she|take the candy bar.
00:17:13,And she wouldn't|look back.
00:17:14,This went on for 3 months.|And I'd say to her cousin,
00:17:18,"One day your cousin|will be my wife."

00:17:20,I was already living with|Nilda at this point.
00:17:22,So I took Lia to the|other house.
00:17:23,I told Nilda, "There's this|passenger of mine
00:17:26,who has nowhere to live,|so she's living with me.
00:17:29,What shall we do?"
00:17:30,She just looked at me and said,|"You're shameless.
00:17:31,Do you like her?" I said yes|and she said "Well, fine".
00:17:35,So we started living together,|and still do.
00:17:38,I learnt all about recycling|with him.
00:17:40,I like it!
00:17:41,I like working at Santa Efigênia|more than I like being
at home.
00:17:44,It's our livelihood. Nowadays|it's very hard to find a
job,
00:17:48,especially since I have|no education.
00:17:50,Every now and then there's|a bit of trouble
00:17:52,with some of the|other haulers.
00:17:55,They call me "The First Lady|of Santa Efigênia".
00:17:58,Since I know a lot of people,
00:18:00,many store owners|prefer to wait for me,
00:18:03,rather than giving stuff|to the others.
00:18:05,The others get angry,|and every now and then,

00:18:07,there's an argument.
00:18:09,I'm Claudinês´s ex-wife.|I met him in 1987,
00:18:15,-and in 1988 I had Marcília.|-Laura was also a
passenger.
00:18:19,I was taking her somewhere and|she told me about her
situation.
00:18:23,She was being evicted.
00:18:24,So I asked her if she didn't|want to come live with me.
00:18:27,And that's how I met|my wives.

00:18:31,I can't even remember|all my kids' names.
00:18:36,There are 4 wives that I spend|a lot of my time with,
00:18:42,and then there's|1, 2, 3 ex-wives.
00:18:46,Be careful.
00:18:49,They both work|here with me,
00:18:51,and I'd say they're|equally good at it.
00:18:53,All the work is|divided equally,
00:18:56,just like our bills to pay,|at home.
00:18:57,What I buy for one family,|I buy for the other.
00:19:00,I don't buy anything if I can't|afford to buy it for
both.
00:19:02,We all share the workload.
00:19:05,One does this,|the other does that...
00:19:07,Maria do Rosário only goes 2 or|3 times a week, for
instance.
00:19:12,It's a|Sunday-through-Sunday job.
00:19:16,My daughters take turns,|so they won't get too tired.
00:19:21,When there's no school,|they both go.
00:19:23,All my children work with me|until they reach adult
age.
00:19:30,Once they're adults, they start|to take care of their
own lives.
00:19:32,One works as a driver...|They all do what they want.
00:19:35,While they're still minors,|they're always with me.
00:19:38,And that's how we live our|lives. Now, when I die,
00:19:42,I guess they'll have to|continue with this work.
00:19:46,They don't know how to do anything|else. They'll have
to carry on.

00:19:53,It's best to begin recycling|with paper.
00:19:58,And to separate the paper,|you need to know the types.
00:20:00,There are many types of|cardboard and white paper.
00:20:04,There are types 1 through 6.|Type 1 doesn't have
00:20:11,a single ink stain on it,|it's completely white.
00:20:14,It's the most expensive.
00:20:16,It scales down to Type 6,|which is the cheapest.
00:20:19,But even Type 6 white paper|is worth more than
cardboard.
00:20:23,A load of this kind here,|if already separated,
00:20:27,used to be worth over 45 cents.|Separated.
00:20:31,When you sell it, it's your|responsibility to separate
it.
00:20:34,Because of the recession,|we now deliver cardboard
00:20:36,at 12 cents per kilo.|It can get as high as 45 cents.
00:20:39,Type 1 white paper can get|as high as 90 cents.
00:20:44,Here we mostly|have Type 2.
00:20:48,We've been delivering|Type 2 at 35 cents.
00:20:50,It used to be 50, 52 cents.
00:21:32,-Good morning, brother.|-Good morning. How are you?
00:22:04,Now pull forwards a little.
00:22:20,-That's R$122, ok?|-Ok.
00:22:26,-Thank you.|-Have a nice day.
00:22:28,If you need anything,|give us a call.

00:22:29,Ok, thanks.
00:23:12,I'm just getting started today.
00:23:16,I work all day from|Monday to Saturday.
00:23:20,I get home at 1 a.m. every day.
00:23:23,My retirement pension|is very little money.
00:23:25,I have a da ughter and|4 grandchildren to help.
00:23:32,Everyday I collect about|5 kilos of cans.
00:23:37,They pay R$1,50 per kilo.
00:23:48,-How much?|-4.
00:23:57,4...
00:23:59,5...
00:24:01,Bring us another garbage|bag, please.
00:24:03, -3?|-3...
00:24:07,-How much?|-3.
00:24:09,-4. No! 3.|-That's 74 kilos.
00:24:13,-How much per kilo?|-R$1,10. It went up 10 cents.
00:24:23,-R$81,40.|-Today I'm paying in cash
00:24:25,because the girl isn't here|yet with my checkbook. Ok?
00:24:28,Ok.
00:24:30,-Call me when you have more.|-Here's your change.
00:24:33,Oh, and let me validate|your parking.
00:24:36,-I have the ticket.|-I'll stamp it for you.
00:24:40,I'll call you in a month or|a month and a half,
00:24:42,depending on my stock here.|Would you like some coffee?
00:24:45,-No, thanks, I'm in a hurry.|-Thank you, Claudinês.
00:25:07,Quickly, ok?
00:25:10,I'm loading up|the truck here.
00:25:13,When I get there, I'll have|to unload everything again.
00:25:17,Be careful, don't rip|the bag. Samuel!
00:25:51,No, don't let it hang|that way!
00:25:55,Go for it.
00:26:00,Just a little more!
00:26:06,There you go.
00:26:10,Now you should find Oliveira,|and start setting it up
for us.
00:26:20,They pile it all on|top of each other.
00:26:23,So we'll have to open the|cardboard, maybe tie it...

00:27:47,You can let go of that rope and|put these two bags over
there.
00:27:53,Did you loosen|the other one?
00:28:09,I'm going to let it go.
00:28:12,Hang on!|Help him, Samuel.
00:28:17,Did you weigh|the aluminium?
00:28:22,This is peeled cooper.
00:28:28,-How much?|-39 cents.
00:28:29,That's it? 39? I've seen|others pay 79 cents.
00:28:43,Mind your head!
00:28:54,Samuel, give him a hand|with that cabinet.
00:29:04,Here's your tip. Take it before|it falls out of my
hand.
00:29:07,-Are you coming back later for the bag?|-Coming back
later?
00:29:09,I live in Grajaú!
00:29:14,-3?|-No, 2.
00:29:18,They're already in plastic|bags inside the big bag.
00:29:21,I'm going to need that bag.|I need to load up in the
city.
00:29:27,Here, take this.|We're late!
00:29:32,It's going to be a crazy|drive into town!
00:29:48,-Thanks, brother!|-Sure thing.
00:29:52,WE DON'T ACCEPT ELECTRICAL|WIRES, MANHOLE COVERS,
00:29:54,CAR PARTS, STOLEN|GOODS, ETC...
00:30:02,That's fine, Samuel.|Lift it all the way up.
00:30:05,I've been a salesman,|a bricklayer's assistant...
00:30:09,I've done all kinds of|odd jobs here and there,
00:30:11,but my most frequent work is|helping my father recycle.
00:30:14,It's always been a very|good thing for me.
00:30:16,He taught me a lot about|recycling, and mechanics too.
00:30:22,My father and I are going|to open a computer store,
00:30:26,using parts that we find|in the trash.
00:30:31,We'll fix the parts|and resell them.
00:30:35,I don't really know where|the store is going to be.
00:30:38,Except that it won't be|far from here.

00:30:39,I don't support the|Municipal Government,
00:30:40,but I think they're right|about a few things.
00:30:42,People don't really help.
00:30:44,People say, "We pay taxes, let|them come pick up the
trash".
00:30:47,That's not the way it works!
00:30:48,I pay R$30 a week to have|my excess trash removed.
00:30:52,I'm not obliged to, but the|city officials aren't
obliged
00:30:55,to have to deal with that|either. If I don't pay,
00:30:58,they aren't obliged to take|away more than 5 bags.
00:31:02,What about the rest?|It can't stay here!
00:31:05,When they don't show up,
00:31:08,everyone's trash piles up|in the street.
00:31:10,I take mine into the city.|They go on strike!
00:31:14,They would never allow|that downtown.
00:31:17,But here on the outskirts|it happens.
00:31:19,I have to drop it off|in a hurry, secretly,
00:31:22,because I'll get fined|if I get caught.
00:31:26,But I see it as one of|my obligations.
00:31:29,I'm taking it into town so that|Sanitation can get rid
of it.
00:31:34,Some people just pay a|guy to dump it anywhere.
00:31:40,I don't do that.
00:31:52,Is there any more up there?
00:32:05,Everyone has their|preferred material.
00:32:08,I like to work with plastic.
00:32:09,It's too bad I don't have|enough space.
00:32:11,I find it the most interesting|material to work with.
00:32:13,Maybe because few|people like it.
00:32:16,They say it's too light and|takes up too much space.
00:32:18,Many people go after|the "fine materials",
00:32:24,the heavier metals, but that|ends up not being worth
it.
00:32:29,There's too little of it|for too many people.
00:32:32,I think plastic is a good idea|because it's cheap,
00:32:35,and there's not a|lot of competition.
00:32:37,And it should be collected,
00:32:38,because it takes thousands|of years to decompose.
 
00:32:45,This work we do|started years ago.
00:32:48,It was poor people|who started it,
00:32:51,but not really knowing|what they were doing.
00:32:54,I often used to fish tires|out of the Pinheiros River
00:32:58,and take them to a man in Vila|Maria who used to mend
them.
00:33:05,And then there was|a tire shortage,
00:33:08,and I thought of coming here,|since my region
00:33:10,was always behind in|terms of recycling.

00:33:14,So I'd come from Vila Maria|to Interlagos
00:33:17,and fish out a few tires.
00:33:23,And I never got any|credit for it.
00:33:25,I did it quite innocently,|though,
00:33:27,not really aware that I was|doing the river a service.
00:33:30,I was doing it to make|some money.
00:33:32,That's why I say that|lots of poor people
00:33:34,collaborate with recycling|without really knowing
00:33:37,the extent of what|they're doing.
00:33:40,This is the kind of thing that|is taken for granted
00:33:42,by most of our society.
00:33:44,People look and they|see garbage,
00:33:46,but they don't understand|what's behind that.
00:33:49,What's behind a piece of paper|thrown on the ground,
00:33:52,or a soda can lying|on the sidewalk.
00:33:55,Our government never|incentivized this.
00:33:57,If it did, like in the|countries I see on TV,
00:34:01,whose names I can't|pronounce,
00:34:03,then the Tietê River|would be clean.
00:34:10,They would have addressed|that problem years ago.
00:34:14,The government never|did anything!
00:34:17,There is so much recycling|in Brazil
00:34:18,because there are more|poor people.
00:34:20,They have no jobs, so they go|around collecting junk.

00:34:31,I say it openly.|I do this with love.
00:34:33,With love.|There's no shame in that.
00:34:42,My father raised 18 of us|from recycling.
00:34:43,So we're used to it.|We value that.

00:34:47,When I got my driver's license,|I left my father's
house.
00:34:52,I decided that I didn't want|that "old man's job"
00:34:57,and took off to see the world.|I regret it to this day.
00:35:04,All I got out of it was trouble.|Trouble and kids.

00:35:11,There's Ivanilda,|then Claudinês...
00:35:15,Clóvis, Cristina...|No, Cristiane...
00:35:19,Those 3 are from|the same mother.
00:35:23,And Vanilda was the first.|I was very young.
00:35:28,Then there's Luciana, Lourdes,|Samuel, Rudinês...
00:35:36,Are you counting, guys?|Rudinês...

00:35:39,I have a lot of siblings. Last|time I counted, there
were 23.
00:35:43,I went name by name|and separated them.
00:35:48,Then there's Josuel...|Now the ones who live here.
00:35:52,Denílson, Tamires,|Talita, Claudinei...
00:36:00,There's Claudinês and|Claudinei. I'm Claudinês.
00:36:05,The one from Guarulhos|is Claudinês, like me.
00:36:11,There's Warlen, Taline,|Joyce and Pedro.
00:36:17,And Thaís,|who lives up here.
00:36:22,I can't remember the rest.
00:36:27,-Did I leave anyone out?|-Jessica.
00:36:30,Oh, yeah. Jessica.|See? Marcília.
00:36:34,My father says there are 28 of|us. I think there are
over 30.
00:36:40,There's a few who must|be in their 40s...
00:36:43,I don't think there's|less than 30.
00:36:45,Last year I met a sister|who was my age.
00:36:50,Today I met a new member.|Jessica.
00:36:53,I'm only a month|older than her.
00:36:58,And there's an older|brother, too.
00:37:00,He must be in his 40s. I don't|know him. His name is
Clóvis.
00:37:07,There's Pepê, Neném...|There's too many kids!
00:37:12,I can only guess.|I can't be sure of the total,
00:37:16,because there could be many|lost ones walking around.
00:37:19,I'm 60 years old.
00:37:21,At my age, I think my future|should remain in
recycling.
00:37:27,There are some things I'd like|to get, like a
compactor.
00:37:33,You can charge more with a|compactor. And a bigger
truck.
00:37:36,I should continue|in this business
00:37:40,and motivate others|who work with me.
00:37:42,I usually have 3 or 4 people|on a payroll, to help me
out.

00:37:48,I'm going to be a vet.
00:37:50,I'm going to be a vet.|I'm going to build my house.
00:37:58,Dad is going to make|us a little car,

00:38:02,so we can go to the city.
00:38:06,He's going to make it|out of iron.
00:38:08,He's even going to make us|a cart and a bicycle.
00:38:13,Then we can carry|whoever we want.
00:38:18,We're little.|How are we going to drive?
00:38:24,Try to get there quickly|to save us a good spot,
00:38:27,since we have to wait|here anyway. Nilda!
00:38:30,Samuel, go help them.
00:38:34,She can run back here and|you can keep the car there.
00:38:37,Hurry up!|Go help them!
00:38:39,Hold it from underneath,|or else it'll open.
00:38:49,I'm from Uberlândia,|Minas Gerais.
00:38:52,I came here on March 4th, 1969.|I'm an auto mechanic,
00:38:56,but at my age, I'm 54 years|old, it's hard to find a
job,
00:39:01,so I decided to change|my profession.
00:39:04,So I started working|with recycling.
00:39:08,There must be just over|100 kilos here.
00:39:10,This is nothing.|The real madness begins at 6 p.m..
00:39:14,We'll take any material.
00:39:16,Carboard, iron,|soft plastic, hard plastic.
00:39:21,I heard they want to shut|down Santa Efigênia.
00:39:25,That's going to put a lot|of people out of a job.
00:39:27,I have nothing to complain|about in terms of money.
00:39:32,I can't give you an exact|figure because you don't
really
00:39:36,add it all up when you|live on the street.
00:39:40,We do pretty well.|But we don't add it up.
00:39:42,I eat in restaurants,|I order good food.
00:39:47,It's a messy life.|Really messy!
00:39:51,But we do make|some money.

00:39:55,You can't just grab a cart|and start hauling junk,
00:39:57,thinking you'll make|a fortune.
00:40:00,You have to know what kind|of materials there are.
00:40:03,I used to think|it was like that.
00:40:06,I thought you could just pick up|any junk and trade it
for good money.
00:40:10,You have to know the different|kinds of paper
00:40:14,so you won't sell it all at|the price of cardboard.
00:40:19,Each kind has its own price.|In the current situation,
00:40:24,I think it's too much material|for too little money.
00:40:26,Before, with a load like this,|it was possible
00:40:30,to make some money and still|put some away for the
future.
00:40:34,Today, a load like this|will get me R$45.
00:40:37,After lunch and dinner, you're|left with R$20 for the
day.
00:40:41,Which means you've made|practically nothing.
00:40:50,I heard the Mayor's Office|wants to ban hauling.
00:40:53,They say we disrupt traffic,|get in the way,
00:40:59,and leave our carts|anywhere.
00:41:01,If you leave your cart for two|days outside any
building,
00:41:04,the City will send someone|to take it away
00:41:07,which puts you out|of work for a month.
00:41:12,It's an unpredictable business.|Sometimes places just
close,
00:41:16,and it's hard to find another|place right away.
00:41:19,We need space to work.
00:41:24,The City is trying to unionize|this profession.
00:41:32,I think people should have|more respect for this job.
00:41:38,Few people admit that it's|even work, to begin with.
00:41:45,Prices are very low. Everything|dropped over 50%.
00:41:51,I don't make a lot of money,|but I work for myself.
00:41:58,Sometimes I find|useful things.
00:42:02,I just don't beg.|That I don't do.
00:42:09,It's hard for us to advance|in this job
00:42:11,because many haulers|are embarrassed.
00:42:16,Many say that they're|going to stop.
00:42:18,I think that they|should just say,
00:42:20,"Yes, I'm a hauler.|I do this in order to survive."
00:42:22,There are no other jobs,
00:42:24,so we're obliged to recycle|to survive.
00:42:27,Not because of any|government initiative.
00:42:33,Many people think that a way|to help us is by getting
rid
00:42:35,of the middleman, like these|warehouses. We need them.
00:42:40,How could haulers administrate|the amount of material
00:42:44,that big companies want to buy?|I'm talking tonnes.
00:42:49,They shut down all the|recycling warehouses downtown.
00:42:54,City Hall is behind this.|They love getting paid.
00:42:57,But they never think|about us.

00:43:17,Good morning.|My name is Claudinês.
00:43:19,I work with recyclable|material. Plastics.
00:43:25,I separate the material,
00:43:28,but I'm not familiar|with the process.
00:43:30,How it works and|where it ends up...
00:43:32,-The recycling process?|-That's right.
00:43:35,-Do you normally collect PP?|-Yes.
00:43:39,Because I only work|with PP here.
00:43:41,-Polypropylene.|-Right.
00:43:45,This is the depot.
00:43:48,I skip the washing process and|go straight to
recycling.
00:43:53,So I only use surplus|industrial material.
00:43:58,You can see it's a|demanding process.
00:44:03,So that's how|we grind it up.
00:44:07,Now let's take a look at|the agglutination process.
00:44:10,That's a process where|it gets shrunk down
00:44:13,so it can pass through|this machine.
00:44:15,This is the material that|was thrown in before?
00:44:17,Yes. As it passes through|the grinder,
00:44:20,it goes through a pipe and|ends up here, in little
pieces.
00:44:24,-From that machine to this one?|-Yes, directly.
00:44:26,That tube we saw before is the|same as this one here,
see?
00:44:29,The stuff moves through it|and falls here.
00:44:33,From here it goes into another|machine, where it is
shrunk,
00:44:39,making it heavy enough to fall|through that other
machine.
00:44:42,In the end, does it turn back|into plastic?
00:44:44,Yes. It becomes a little|plastic grain.

00:44:46,The only difference is that|the recycled grain is dark,
00:44:51,while the new plastic grain|is transparent.
00:44:53,But it's a plastic grain; you can|do whatever you like
with it.
00:44:56,It won't ever come out|transparent?
00:44:59,No. You can use it to make|something dark.
00:45:03,Come here, to see the|rest of the process.
00:45:08,We call this "spaghetti".
00:45:13,Here it gets shredded, then it|goes through the grinder
again
00:45:21,and comes out in even smaller|pieces. At this point,
00:45:27,the material is ready to be|used for anything you want.
00:45:37,Here the plastic undergoes|a stretching process.
00:45:40,If you take some|of this material
00:45:42,before the stretching process|and tug on it, it'll
snap.
00:45:44,If you put it through the|stretching process,
00:45:46,which reorders its molecules,|it'll be stronger. It
won't snap.
00:45:52,At this stage, you can cut more|or less of the
material,
00:45:56,depending on the thickness|you want.
00:45:59,Up ahead, it gets folded.
00:46:04,It gets folded flat and wound|onto this big roll.
00:46:10,Finally, the plastic tape is|wound onto these small
spools.
00:46:16,Does this stuff here go back|to the beginning?
00:46:18,Yes. It goes back|to the mill
00:46:20,and the process starts|all over again.
00:46:23,That's one advantage to|working with plastic.
00:46:25,You can recycle it|many times over.
00:46:30,So that's the process.|You saw how it works.
00:46:33,Right.
00:46:35,The material comes in|and we reprocess it.
00:46:40,It is ground, recycled,
00:46:43,and its grains are turned|into plastic tape.
00:46:47,-Right.|-This is a gift for you.
00:46:51,Ok. Thank you.
00:46:52,Give me a call if you have|this kind of material to
sell.
00:46:56,I'll separate these bags,|which we get a lot.
00:47:00,Bring them over and|I'll buy them.
00:47:03,-Ok. Thank you.|-Thank you.
00:47:06,After this demonstration,
00:47:07,I'll enjoy collecting plastic|even more.
00:47:10,In there, I found out|about a material
00:47:12,which I always thought|no one would want.
00:47:15,I'm going to start|pulling it out of sewers,
00:47:18,because the earth|doesn't eat it.
00:47:20,Plastic takes over|100 years to decompose.
00:47:24,-This is for you.|-To replace her?
00:47:27,Poor thing. She'll be black|in less than 5 days.
00:47:31,I switched dolls...
00:47:34,because this one's lungs are|sick because of the
pollution.
00:47:37,Let's put her to work,
00:47:40,so she can show us how|the pollution is.
00:47:45,If you come back in 10 days,|you'll see the state of
her.

00:47:52,You're not going yet, are you?|It's still early.
00:47:58,Is it time to go yet? Where's|that raincoat?
00:48:10,Your father asked you to|give him a hand over there.
00:48:15,That guy asked us to remove|those boxes for him.

00:48:21,Taline won't be there till|5 p.m. It's at 5 p.m.,
right?