[The sorting of recyclable waste and the variables inherent to the process: a case study in a cooperative]

Informal labor with recyclable materials is marked by social exclusion and discrimination, besides this activity being conducted in unsanitary conditions. The literature suggests that the problems associated with the sorting of recyclable waste are associated with lack of structure, contact with the "garbage", lack of government support, lack of training, lack of safety equipment, among others. The scope of this paper is to describe the process of sorting recyclable waste in a cooperative in França in the state of São Paulo. The specific objective was to identify the variables inherent to the process and investigate how workers adjust their work schedules to deal with these variables. The research method used is the case study with an operationalized ergonomic approach at some stages of the ergonomic analysis of work. Exploratory visits, indirect observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results showed that the variables inherent to the process require that workers perform timely management sessions, which can be either collective or individual, though this invariably results in overload in the workplace, either by speeding up the work output or by demanding the increased concentration of those involved.