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Resident of Aparecida, Paraíba, the eco-friendly street sweeper Giorggio Abrantes overcame alcoholism, created a machine that recycles PET bottles into brooms and ropes, earns about R$ 7,5 thousand a month selling equipment, and inspires entrepreneurs by exporting recycling machines and tutorials from the backlands to other countries via YouTube and social media
The story of eco-friendly street sweeper Giorggio Abrantes, a resident of Aparecida in the high hinterlands of Paraíba, gained national attention by showing how a former alcoholic transformed his daily routine as a street sweeper into a sustainable business. From a machine he built himself to recycle PET bottles, he started manufacturing brooms and clothes lines and earned around R$ 7,5 thousand a month from the activity.
The project was born from the struggle against alcoholism, when Giorggio was hospitalized in a rehabilitation clinic in Paraíba and decided that he didn’t want to return to the same routine after being discharged. With the support of an online crowdfunding campaign and donations that totaled R$ 14 thousand, he bought tools, learned to weld, built his first recycling machines, and from there began selling equipment for about R$ 354 to various Brazilian states and to clients in countries like Italy and Mozambique, in addition to sharing the step-by-step process on YouTube.
From Alcoholism to Work as an Eco-Friendly Street Sweeper in the Hinterlands
Resident of Aparecida, in the high hinterlands of Paraíba, Giorggio Abrantes was sweeping the streets when he started noticing the amount of discarded PET bottles every day.
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He reports that he found many bottles along his route as a street sweeper and decided that he needed to find a better destination for this material.
The profession, which initially represented just a source of income, ended up becoming the starting point for a recycling business.
Before this, the now well-known eco-friendly street sweeper had gone through a period of hospitalization in a rehabilitation clinic to treat his alcoholism.
It was in this environment that the idea of transforming waste into products emerged.
Upon leaving the clinic, he decided to put the plan into action, combining the need to support his family with a project that had a direct environmental impact on the streets he helps keep clean.
Homemade Machine that Transforms PET Bottles into Brooms and Ropes
With the first machine ready, the eco-friendly street sweeper started cutting, heating, and processing the PET bottles to turn them into plastic fibers.
These fibers are used to manufacture eco-friendly brooms and clothes lines.
The products are sold for amounts ranging from R$ 10 to R$ 35, depending on the model and type of finish.
In addition to generating income, the eco-friendly brooms help to reduce the volume of waste discarded in the city.
The same material that previously occupied landfills and vacant lots is now coming back to homes in the form of cleaning utensils and everyday items, creating a reuse cycle aligned with the recycling message promoted by Giorggio.
Crowdfunding, Welding, and a Shift Towards Manufacturing Recycling Machines
The initial structure of the business was made possible when the eco-friendly street sweeper raised R$ 14 thousand through an online crowdfunding campaign and donations.
With the money in hand, he bought tools, started self-studying, and learned to weld.
From there, he was able to build the first machines for his own use, testing adjustments until he arrived at a functional model.
The turning point occurred when Giorggio began posting videos showing the machine and the recycling process on social media.
Comments multiplied, and many people started asking where they could buy the equipment, prompting him to take a step forward.
He decided to manufacture the machines for sale, each one marketed for about R$ 354, and today he ships orders to various Brazilian states and countries like Italy and Mozambique.
Production Chain: Artisans, Plastic Fibers, and New Recycled Products
The plastic fibers produced from PET bottles are not limited to brooms.
They have also become raw material for artisans who make bags, hats, and other accessories.
In this way, the work of the eco-friendly street sweeper feeds a small production chain, in which waste transformed into fiber starts circulating in different types of products.
This logic expands the reach of recycling and creates new income possibilities around the initiative.
Beyond the direct sale of brooms, ropes, and recycling machines, the eco-friendly street sweeper‘s project connects to small producers and artisans who find in PET fiber a low-cost alternative to develop pieces with a sustainable appeal.
YouTube Channel Transforms Experience into Educational Content
In parallel with selling machines and products, Giorggio began to share the knowledge he accumulated on a YouTube channel.
There, the eco-friendly street sweeper teaches step-by-step how to build and use recycling machines, as well as showing details of the manufacturing process of brooms and ropes. The channel already has over 1 million subscribers.
The videos, which detail everything from cutting the bottle to the final use of the fiber, serve as training material for others interested in replicating the model.
By freely sharing the step-by-step process, the eco-friendly street sweeper expands the reach of the idea and allows other entrepreneurs to create similar initiatives in different regions, reinforcing the educational nature of the project.
Gari Ecológico Brand, Contact Channels, and Reinvention Journey
The initiative gained its own identity with the Gari Ecológico brand, used by Giorggio to identify the business and communication channels.
The point of reference is the address in Aparecida, at Rua João Júnior Alves de Oliveira, no number, ZIP code 58823-000, in Paraíba.
Direct contact can be made via the WhatsApp phone number provided by the entrepreneur, as well as through email and social media profiles.
The eco-friendly street sweeper can be reached at gariecologico@gmail.com and maintains an active presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where he shares news, work updates, and customer feedback.
For him, the journey shows that necessity, combined with the desire to overcome alcoholism and economic conditions, was the driving force behind invention and personal reinvention, transforming a street sweeper from the hinterlands into a reference for recycling and environmental entrepreneurship.
In your opinion, does the story of the eco-friendly street sweeper who overcame alcoholism, created recycling machines, and started selling equipment to other countries inspire more workers to turn everyday problems into sustainable businesses?
Parabéns a ele. Deixou de ser dependente da bebida e criou uma forma de sustentar sua família e ainda ajudar o próximo e a natureza. Pena que logo logo o governo va lhe cobrar vários impostos…
Grande ideia 💡 genio
Lo más importante fué recuperar su VIDA en su entorno familiar, y ahora aporta la experiencia para que otros se animen a desarrollar sus propios proyectos económicos y sociales.
Definitivamente Giorgio Abrante es un VERDADERO HEROE MODERNO que inspira con una opción real y cercana de Prosperidad y de paso a SALVAR nuestro Planeta.