Perception of work and health among waste collectors

INTRODUCTION: Despite the major social and environmental importance of domestic waste collectors, who perform one of the most unsanitary types of work, they still have to deal with the stigma attached to their profession for collecting what society has discarded. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the perception of waste collectors about their work and health. METHODS: Interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with domestic waste collectors from the municipal government staff of a medium-sized city in the state of Paraná, Brazil. A demographic questionnaire was also applied. Answers were analyzed according to Bardin’s content analysis. RESULTS: Data were collected from 17 participants, all men, with a mean age of 47.7 years. Workers showed different points of view regarding work difficulties and problems, health, people’s perception about their work, and the importance of their work. DISCUSSION: Although some answers had opposite perspectives, all participants recognized the importance of their work for society, which is not reciprocated. The way collection activities are performed, with collectors using their bodies as an instrument, and the lack of recognition by society may result in physical and psychological problems. CONCLUSIONS: Improving working conditions and making these workers visible to society, considering their indispensability, could promote health strategies directed at this working class.