Selective waste collection in the city of São Paulo: urban public services under the neoliberal logic

Abstract The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of the neoliberal logic on São Paulo’s municipal selective waste collection program. The study analyzed a set of public hearings and events that discussed waste management in São Paulo to understand the discourses, views and actions undertaken by the actors that form the system. Results showed that the neoliberal logic has been present in the agenda of all the municipal administrations since the beginning of the selective collection program in the city, whether they assume center-right or center-left positions. The consequence of this is a tendency to make technocratic choices that, under the arguments of “modernity” and need for “technological solutions”, end up being centralized in technology, socially exclusionary, and inefficient.

摘要 本研究旨在剖析新自由主义逻辑对圣保罗市市政选择性垃圾收集项目的影响。研究选取一系列探讨圣保罗垃圾管理议题的公开听证会及相关事件作为分析样本，以厘清构成该治理系统的各行动主体的话语表达、立场观点与实践行动。研究结果显示，自该市选择性垃圾收集项目启动以来，无论执政当局秉持中右翼还是中左翼政治立场，新自由主义逻辑均贯穿于历届市政管理层的施政议程之中。其带来的后果是，诸多以“现代化”与“亟需技术解决方案”为论证依据的技术官僚式决策，最终偏向技术中心化、社会排斥且效率低下的发展路径。