For those who don’t know that soda, juice and water lid that is often thrown in the trash has value… it can help people with disabilities and even help stray animals
In 2016, the Brazilian Plastic Congress (CBP) launched a social and environmental program called “Tampinha Legal”.
This program is an educational initiative of the plastic processing industry in Latin America. It proposes actions that modify people’s behavior and habits by encouraging the collection of plastic caps, increasing the level of clarity regarding the destination of plastic waste.
The project aims to collect plastic caps and reverse 100% of the proceeds from the sale to entities, ie the full value of the caps sold goes to the institution that needs resources. In addition, the project helps raise awareness and mobilize people to properly dispose of plastic waste.
To help you just start separating the caps you find, because only in March 2019, Tampinha Legal already delivered about 20 tons for recycling, equivalent to 40 thousand reais to the entities! Currently, the project has more than 500 collection points scattered throughout the cities, we can find them in hospitals, public agencies, schools, commerce and companies.
If you don’t have a collection point in your city yet, don’t worry, you can open one. There are two ways to open the collection points:
- by the assistance entities or
- by people looking for Tapinha Legal, stating that they want to be a point, if you are one of them is necessary to choose one of the assisted entities registered in your city to destine their caps or indicate an entity that is interested in registering. Once there is a collection point, there will be boxes distributed by the project to the institutions for the collection and storage of caps. The charities registered in the program search the caps at the collection points, separate by color and put in a standard bag, also provided by the project. Here is already the beginning of sorting the material, separating it from other objects that end up going to the points such as piles, batteries, cans of tin, coins, etc. These materials must be removed as they can damage the recycler’s machines and devalue the material.
After sorting and sorting by color, the entities deliver the caps in the project deposit, where they expect to reach the minimum amount for the project to trigger the recycler. The minimum quantity is around 2 to 3 tons, but adding all the registered entities this number is quick to reach.
When the minimum quantity is reached, the recycler is called to buy the caps and pays directly to the charities’ account, thus ensuring that all the resources of the caps reach the charities. From here it is the responsibility of the entity’s management to allocate the amount collected, usually the entities use to pay the payroll, others to renovate the headquarters, the library, build restrooms or buy wheelchairs. Some entities use to provide meals to their users, and even help the abandoned animals, buying food and / or castrating them.
Do you know why plastic is the one chosen for this project? A study of the Brazilian packaging industry, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Economics (IBRE) and Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) for the Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE) says that plastic represented the largest share in the value of packaging production in the country. , corresponding to 38.85% of the total, followed by the cellulosic packaging sector with 34.09% (cardboard, cardboard, paperboard, sulfite paper), metal with 18.15%, glass with 4.43%, packaging textiles with 2.53% and wood with 1.95%. Adding to this, the recycler can pay between $ 0.60 to $ 2.00 per cap, depending on factors such as type of plastic, state of caps and separation by color! The caps have a better value for sale, because the material is more noble and can be used to make a larger number of colored products. 
There are several examples of entities that are benefiting from the “Tampinha Legal” project, one of them is the Tramandaí Women’s Cancer League, which will use the value to buy a mammogram for the city’s hospital. Another entity is SOMAR- adapted tourism, this entity located in Cabo Frio-RJ provides entry into the sea, adapted surfing and leisure with special chairs for water. There are some animal entities that are also part of the project such as: “Tampatas” and “Rio eco pets”.
You are wondering which caps to separate? Here are some possibilities: PET, shampoo, nail polish, detergent, deodorant, toothpaste, milk and juice carton lids, but remember: any plastic lid is worth it!
To register an entity or become a collection point or learn more, just enter the official website of the project (https://tampinhalegal.com.br/) and make the registration
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