Trash cart superheroes

Our world has
many superheroes.

But they have the worst of
all superpowers: invisibility.

For example, the Catadores,

workers who collect recyclable
materials for a living.

Catadores emerge from social
inequality, unemployment,

and the abundance
of solid waste

from the deficiency of the
waste collection system.

Catadores provide heavy,
honest and essential work

that benefits the entire population.

But they are not
acknowledged for it.

Here in Brazil, they collect
90 percent of all the waste

that's actually recycled.

Most of the Catadores
work independent ally,

picking waste on the streets
and selling to junk yards

at very low prices.

They may collect over 300 kilos

in their bags, shopping carts,
bicycles and carroças.

Carroças are carts built
from wood or metal

and found in several streets in Brazil.

much like graffiti and street art

and this is how i first these marganizalised
superheroes

i am a graffiti artist and activist

and my art is social, environmental and political

in nature

in 2007, i took my work beyond walls

and onto the cajosas

as a new word of support for my message

but at this time, giving voice to the catadores

by adding art in humor to the cause

it became more appealing

which helped call attention

to the catadores

and improve their self esteem

and now they are famous on the street

on mass media, in social

the thing is,

i plunged into this universe

and have not stopped working since

i have painted over 200 cajosas

in many cities

and have been invited to do exhibitions and trips

worldwide

and then i realized that cat adores in their invisibility

are not exclusive to brazil

i met them in argentina, chile, bolivia
south africa, turkey

and even developed countries such as

united states

and japan

and this was when i realized

that i need to

have more people join the cause

it's a big challenge

then, i created a collaborative movement

called pimp my carroja

A large crowd fund event

(Applause)

Thank you.

So Pimp my Carrjoja is a large

crowd fund event to help catadores

in their carjosas

Catadores are assisted by professionals

and healthcare-like physicians

dentists, podiatrists,

stylists, and message therapists

and much more

but they also receive safety shirts

gloves, rain coats and eye glasses

to see them, in high definition, the city

their carjosas are renovated by our incredible

volunteers then receive safety items, too

reflective tapes, horns, and mirrors

then, finally, painted by a street artist

and become part of part of this huge amazing

bio-art exhibition

pimp my carjosa took the streets

of sao paolo, rio de jinero

and curichipa

but, to meet the demand in other cities,

including outside of brazil

we have created Pimpx

inspired by TEDx,

and it's a simplified, do it yourself,

crowd fund edition of pimp my carjosa

so everybody can join

in two years, over 170 catadores

800 volunteers and 200 street artists

and more than 100 donators

have been involved in the Pimp my Carjosa movement

who actions have even been used

to teach recycle at a local school

so, cat adores are leaving invisibility

behind and becoming increasingly

respected and valued

because of their pimped carjosas,

they are able to fight back

prejudice, increase their income

and their interaction with society

so now, id like to challenge you

to start looking at and acknowledging the catadores

and other invisible superheroes from your city

try to see the world as one

without boundaries

and tiers

believe it or not

there are over 20 millioncatadores worldwide

so, next time you see one

recognize them as a vital part

of our society

Thank you

Applause