Experiências e práticas de socialidade na Associação de Recicladores de Porto Amazonas/ARPA (2014-2016)

Abstract

Porto Amazonas is one of the biggest apple producers in the state of Paraná.However, this agricultural activity implies precarious work relations, absorbing labor seasonally. In this unstable context, emerges the Recycler’s Association of Porto Amazonas (ARPA), inspired by the economical solidarity principles, as an alternative for generating work and income for some local families. This research has the objective of demonstrating how the workers of the Porto Amazonas county experience the work in recycling and which solidarity practices got (re)invented in ARPA. For such, the life trajectories of the lives of seven female and seven male recyclers were studied, as well as the establishment they built. In the oral interviews, they narrated their infancy and youth and the migrations and activities exercised until getting to ARPA. The deponents also discoursed about the experiences of dealing with recyclables, their understanding about the organizational model proposed by ARPA and the prejudices that involved their occupations. Among these struggles, accomplishments and setbacks, life has prospected in a diverse way for these different generational groups in this association.