Advancing the Safety and Wellbeing of Waste-pickers through Co-operatives
Event details
Date: May 6, 2026
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 PM (CST/Saskatchewan)
Location: On Zoom
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Event Description
All over the world, there are people who make a living from other people's waste, either by reusing it or reselling it. These people are called " waste-pickers " because they give value to items that others consider waste. However, those who collect recyclables often live on the margins of society, facing prejudice from others and constant safety risks. Les Valoristes Coopérative de Solidarité is Quebec’s first bottle depot with the goal of improving the working conditions of waste-pickers. It offers a voice, specialized service, as well as a safe working environment and advancing environmental goals through improving the refundable's beverage container's eco-system in Quebec. In this Co-op Conversation, Marica Vazquez Tagliero will share the story of Les Valoristes Coopérative de Solidarité and how the co-operative model has helped to advance the safety, inclusion, wellbeing, and empowerment for waste-pickers.
About our Speaker
Marica Vazquez Tagliero has worked for over twenty years in the community and environmental sectors in Quebec and abroad. She holds a double bachelor's degree in sociology and political science from Concordia University, as well as a graduate diploma in community economic development from the same institution. From 2004 to 2011, she worked as a recycling project manager in the Eco-quartier Peter-McGill, where she co-created and coordinated the collection of refundables in business buildings downtown Montreal with a waste-picker called Marina. She also worked informally with several waste-pickers in Montreal and with waste-picker’s cooperatives in her hometown of São Paulo, Brazil. Since 2012, she has co-founded the Les Valoristes Solidarity Cooperative, Quebec's first bottle depot, co-managed and operated by waste-pickers themselves.
About Co-op Conversations
The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives' (CCSC) Co-op Conversations is an online gathering for co-operative sector professionals to learn from others in the field and exchange information in a casual setting. Each Co-op Conversation will be held during lunch hours (Saskatchewan time) on the first Wednesday of the month.
Each Co-op Conversation will be kick-started with a 15-minute presentation by an invited speaker who is working on or thinking about something new, challenging, or inspiring. Following the presentation, we’ll facilitate a broad conversation. Sometimes participants will be broken into small groups to discuss ideas. Other times the floor will be opened for questions, comments, and dialogue from everyone.
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Questions? Email coop.studies@usask.ca
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