Brazil Boosts Recycling Efforts with New Policies and Vehicle Recovery Initiatives

Brazil’s recycling sector is undergoing a transition, driven by the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) which establishes reverse‑logistics plans, sectoral collection targets and state‑level guidelines. These measures are encouraging producers, manufacturers and distributors to internalise post‑consumption costs, invest in collection and triage infrastructure, and adopt new recycling technologies. The country still recycles less than 10% of its municipal solid waste.

In Minas Gerais, officials aim to make the state a national benchmark for vehicle recycling. Only about 1.5% of Brazil’s 46 million light‑vehicle fleet is properly processed each year, far below rates in the United States and Japan. The state’s Vehicle Recycling Working Group (GT‑RV), convened by the Secretariat of Economic Development and joined by the Secretariat of Environment, the Treasury, the Association of Vehicle Dismantlers, Stellantis, the engineering society SME and the University of Minas Gerais, is shaping technical standards, reducing tax burdens and promoting circular‑economy practices. Each tonne of steel scrap reclaimed avoids roughly 1.5 tonnes of CO2, and companies such as Gerdau recycle over 11 million tonnes of steel annually, highlighting both environmental and economic gains.