Rio’s Largest Favela Transforms Cooking Oil Waste Into Jobs and Environmental Solutions
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📰 The quick summary: A community initiative in Rio’s largest favela transforms used cooking oil into eco-friendly soaps and cleaning products while creating jobs for local women and preventing environmental pollution.
📈 One key stat: A single liter of oil can pollute up to 25,000 liters of water, highlighting why this recycling initiative makes such a significant environmental impact.
💬 One key quote: “It’s a good idea because we’re preventing oil from going down the drain,” says Rocinha resident and longtime customer Dora Almeida.
1️⃣ The big picture: In Rio de Janeiro’s Rocinha, Brazil’s largest favela with over 72,000 residents, a transformative environmental project has taken root. After discovering cooking oil pollution in a local water reservoir in 2020, community leader Marcelo Santos created Óleo no Ponto, an initiative that collects used cooking oil from households and transforms it into sustainable cleaning products. The project prevents environmental damage while creating economic opportunities for vulnerable women in the community. Through a system that rewards residents with points exchangeable for products, the initiative has successfully diverted thousands of gallons of oil from polluting water systems while producing soap bars and cleaning pastes sold under the Sabão do Morro (Favela Soap) brand.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This environmental initiative delivers multiple benefits beyond waste reduction. By preventing improper disposal of cooking oil, the project protects local water systems and helps unclog pipes that often cause flooding during heavy storms. The initiative has created sustainable employment for nine Rocinha residents who process the oil into over 5,000 products annually. Local women gain economic independence through three-month workshops where they learn to produce eco-friendly cleaning materials, which they can then make and sell themselves. The project’s success has attracted partnerships with hotels and shopping malls, increasing oil collection by approximately 50% and expanding the positive environmental impact beyond the favela.
3️⃣ What’s next: Project leader Adriana Moura aims to get Sabão do Morro products onto shelves of large supermarkets throughout Rio de Janeiro. The team continues focusing on environmental education through school lectures to instill sustainability values in younger generations. With dreams of establishing more collection centers, expanding training programs, and developing new products, the initiative seeks to amplify its impact across other parts of Rio.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – In Rio’s largest favela, used oil becomes soap and social change
