| Sumario: | Increasing global waste generation is both a visible manifestation and a systemic indicator of the contemporary ecological crisis and climate change. In this context, waste pickers are critical, yet often overlooked, in environmental governance. By recovering recyclable materials and reducing reliance on landfills, they advance circular economy practices, conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Despite these contributions, waste pickers continue to face precarious working conditions, social stigma, and exclusion from formal recognition and decision-making. Established in 2023, UNICATA, the University for and with Waste Pickers, emerged as a transformative response. Grounded in Buen Vivir and Paulo Freire's popular education, UNICATA strengthens waste pickers' protagonism and enhances waste management. With two classrooms in Brazil, it equips participants to influence policy and expand regenerative practices. This paper presents initial outcomes, showing how popular education advances environmental justice, planetary healing, and relational care through grassroots knowledge and collective action.
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