Beatriz Calheiros
Brazilian environmental activist pioneering urban waste management solutions through grassroots innovation.
Beatriz Calheiros is the founder of Muda Brasil, a nonprofit transforming waste management practices in Brazilian cities through community-driven initiatives. Starting in 2019 with a single beach cleanup in Rio de Janeiro, Calheiros' model has scaled to 300 municipalities, engaging over 500,000 volunteers annually. Her flagship program Ecopoints created the first nationwide network of recycling centers staffed by formerly incarcerated individuals, providing both environmental solutions and social reintegration.
In 2022, Calheiros introduced Waste2Wealth, a circular economy platform connecting small businesses with recycled materials. This initiative has diverted 12 million kg of waste from landfills and generated $3.8 million in microloans for entrepreneurs. Her partnership with Natura Cosméticos resulted in Brazil's first eco-designed product line using recycled materials from Muda Brasil's networks.
Calheiros' 2023 documentary "Beyond the Landfill" (available on Netflix) exposed the crisis of plastic pollution in Amazon communities, leading to policy changes in Acre state's waste laws. Her YouTube series on zero-waste living has 1.2 million subscribers, with tutorials translated into 10 languages.
In 2024, she launched Tech4Earth, an AI-powered platform predicting waste hotspots using satellite data. This innovation won the Earth Innovation Prize and is now being piloted in São Paulo's favelas. Calheiros' advocacy led to Brazil's first anti-plastic packaging law, enacted in 2025.
Her 2025 book Cidades que Reciclam, Povos que Resistem (Cities That Recycle, Peoples Who Resist) details strategies for combining grassroots action with tech innovation. Calheiros' approach of 'equitable sustainability' has influenced UN-Habitat's 2025 Global Urban Waste Report. With over 300+ partnerships including Microsoft and the Inter-American Development Bank, her work demonstrates how local solutions can address global environmental challenges while creating social equity.