Communal health with recyclers
Communal health with recyclers
Communal health with recyclers
brief.
brief.
Lacking the option to quarantine, informal recyclers [often homeless] faced higher COVID-19 risks due to constant contact with waste. This participatory design process aimed to create community-driven biosecurity tools. The project resulted in a traveling exhibition to raise awareness of their situation, training sessions where recyclers teach citizens about waste disposal, and the development of tailored safety protocols for their work.
Lacking the option to quarantine, informal recyclers [often homeless] faced higher COVID-19 risks due to constant contact with waste. This participatory design process aimed to create community-driven biosecurity tools. The project resulted in a traveling exhibition to raise awareness of their situation, training sessions where recyclers teach citizens about waste disposal, and the development of tailored safety protocols for their work.
thanks to.
thanks to.
This project was an interdisciplinary group work [from nursing and design]. Thanks to all informal recyclers from Linaje Real Foundation who gave of their time for co-creation.
This project was an interdisciplinary group work [from nursing and design]. Thanks to all informal recyclers from Linaje Real Foundation who gave of their time for co-creation.
Figure 1. Itinerant exhibition.
Figure 1. Itinerant exhibition.
testimony.
testimony.
“Each night I walk about 10 km, if it goes well, I collect 50 kg of waste. Few weeks ago I lost my sense of smell and had a fever, I suppose it was due to COVID. I wasn’t leaving the house except to recycle, so it was while working that I caught that virus.” {translated}
“Each night I walk about 10 km, if it goes well, I collect 50 kg of waste. Few weeks ago I lost my sense of smell and had a fever, I suppose it was due to COVID. I wasn’t leaving the house except to recycle, so it was while working that I caught that virus.” {translated}
“Each night I walk about 10 km, if it goes well, I collect 50 kg of waste. Few weeks ago I lost my sense of smell and had a fever, I suppose it was due to COVID. I wasn’t leaving the house except to recycle, so it was while working that I caught that virus.” {translated}
— Manuel, informal recycler, in an interview about his job.
— Manuel, informal recycler, in an interview about his job.
— Manuel, informal recycler, in an interview about his job.
Figure 2. Biosecurity protocol testing / Figure 3. Participants / Figure 4. Recycler teaching citizens about waste separation / Figure 5. Social cartography.
Figure 2. Biosecurity protocol testing / Figure 3. Participants / Figure 4. Recycler teaching citizens about waste separation / Figure 5. Social cartography.
design process.
design process.
Curious about what we can create together?
Curious about what we can create together?
kimberly.castro.ba@gmail.com
©2026
©2026