Centers
We occupy learning spaces in São Paulo and Brasília, where the local reality of each waste picker connects to a global network of knowledge and transformation.
São Paulo
UNICATA's first classroom was inaugurated in São Paulo in April 2023.
Between 2023 and 2025, we had:
- 5 cohorts
- 4 modules (Module 1 was offered twice: a pilot version and a refined version)
- 212 certificates issued: 110 for students who completed the module and 102 for educators
Brasília
Brasília was the second city to host a UNICATA course, beginning in September 2023.
Activities in Brasília are coordinated by Prof. Greice Martins of the Federal Institute of Brasília (IFB). Between 2023 and 2025, they had:
- 5 cohorts
- 3 modules (Modules 1 and 2 were each offered twice)
- A total of 127 certificates issued: 100 for students and 27 for educators
Victoria and Vancouver, Canada
UNICATA is beginning its activities in Canada, focusing on the cities of Victoria and Vancouver, in the province of British Columbia, where waste pickers are known as binners or diverters.
In this initial phase, we are developing the project "UNICATA Canada – Building Circular Economies through Community-Based Education," with the following objectives:
- Get to know who binners are and what their priorities and challenges are;
- Identify topics and skills they would like to learn or share;
- Co-create, together with waste pickers and local partners, a UNICATA course adapted to the Canadian context.
Partnerships and team
In Canada, UNICATA is hosted at the Centre for Global Studies (CFGS) and connected to the Community-Based Research Laboratory (CBRL) of the Department of Geography, both at the University of Victoria (UVic). We also partner with the Binners' Project, a nonprofit organization that brings together and supports waste pickers in Vancouver.
The project team is made up of:
- Jutta Gutberlet, Professor and Project Coordinator
- Ana Maria Castro, Postdoctoral Researcher
- Julia Heins, Undergraduate Student and Research Assistant
Funding and next steps
The project received initial funding from the Rethink Waste Community Grant, awarded by the Capital Regional District (CRD). We are currently seeking new partners and funding sources to support the research and the implementation of a UNICATA classroom in Victoria.
Testimonials from Our Students
"It was a very rich and powerful class that already set the tone for what's to come. We worked with reading maps, both old and new, and that opened up a fascinating reflection on how we see our territory and our place within it. The moment when we split into groups to do free readings of what we observed was especially powerful. Each group brought a different perspective, showing how knowledge is also built from each person's perception and lived experience. We also covered important topics like terrain, biomes, mountains, and even how the internet reaches us through submarine cables, greatly expanding our understanding of the world and its connections. It was very interesting to see how the class put UNICATA's pedagogical approach into practice, one based on the exchange of knowledge and the collective construction of understanding, valuing everyone's active participation. I left with the feeling that this module will deepen our understanding of territory, environment, and our role within this broader system."
Nanci Darcolete
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Waste picker and Executive Director at Pimp My Carroça; Student, Educator, and Member of UNICATA's Governing Council
★★★★★
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