How many trees has MaresiasTur planted?

Over 2,000 native Atlantic Forest saplings, with plantings every month for more than 5 years.

Where can I drop off e-waste in Maresias?

The MaresiasTur agency, at Av. Francisco Loup, 500, is an E-LIXO drop-off point. The Environment Department, at Shopping Pierotti, also accepts the material.

E-Waste That Becomes a Forest: MaresiasTur in São Sebastião's E-LIXO Program

By MaresiasTur · 15/09/2026 · Updated on 18/09/2026 · 5 min read

Quick answer

São Sebastião's E-LIXO program is a City Hall campaign that trades e-waste for native Atlantic Forest saplings. MaresiasTur, in Maresias, is an official partner and drop-off point, and has been planting saplings every month for more than 5 years: over 2,000 so far.

Two people pose in the shallow pool facing the waterfall that runs down the rock, at the Cachoeira das 7 Quedas, in Maresias

São Sebastião's E-LIXO program trades unused e-waste for native Atlantic Forest tree saplings, and MaresiasTur is an official partner of the initiative. Anyone working in ecotourism lives off nature: the forest that leads to the waterfall, the clear water around the islands, the preserved trails. That's why the agency believes tourism needs to give back part of what it receives, and the most concrete way it found was turning e-waste into forest.

In numbers: plantings every month, for more than 5 years, and over 2,000 native saplings planted.

What is São Sebastião's E-LIXO program?

E-LIXO is a campaign by the São Sebastião City Hall, through its Environment Department (Secretaria do Meio Ambiente, or Semam), that encourages trading unused electronic waste for saplings of native Atlantic Forest tree species. The idea is twofold: give the right destination to materials that contaminate soil and water when disposed of carelessly, and expand the municipality's green cover.

Items accepted in the trade include computers, monitors, laptops, keyboards, mice, cell phones, tablets, chargers, batteries and power cells.

The program is still active. According to São Sebastião City Hall, 731 kilograms of e-waste were collected between January and March 2026, and the recovered equipment is donated to institutions that serve people in socially vulnerable situations, as a form of digital inclusion.

Where to drop off e-waste in São Sebastião

The same City Hall announcement lists E-LIXO's drop-off points:

Environment Department (Semam): Av. Guarda Mor Lobo Viana, 421, 427 and 435, Bloco A, Shopping Pierotti.
MaresiasTur: at the agency, at Av. Francisco Loup, 500, in Maresias.
Instituto Verde Escola, in Barra do Sahy.
Kaaysá Art Residency, in Boiçucanga.
Amo Paúba, at Praia de Paúba.
Sociedade Amigos de Toque-Toque Pequeno.

For large quantities, City Hall says collection can be scheduled by phone at (12) 3892-2797 or by email at socioambiental.semam@saosebastiao.sp.gov.br.

How does MaresiasTur take part?

Official partner: MaresiasTur works in partnership with the program, in a collaboration between public authorities and private initiative.
Drop-off point: the agency collects e-waste from residents and visitors in Maresias.
Trade: the material collected is traded for native Atlantic Forest saplings.
Monthly planting: the team plants saplings every month, for more than 5 years.
Result: more than 2,000 native saplings planted to date.

One of the earliest actions was reported by São Sebastião City Hall in April 2021: Maresias residents dropped off five televisions, four microwaves, a mixer, a CPU, plus mice, keyboards, external hard drives and batteries at the agency, in exchange for 60 native saplings. Partners Thiago Bertassoni and Fabrício Barboza organized the action to encourage planting along the trails where the agency operates.

Visitors climb a dirt trail through tall grass and shrubs toward the top of the hill, in Maresias, São Sebastião — A trail in Maresias: it's along these trails that the agency focuses its planting.

Why plant native Atlantic Forest species?

The Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica), which covers the Serra do Mar around Maresias, is one of Brazil's most threatened biomes and retains only a small part of its original cover. Native species help restore degraded areas, protect springs and rivers, hold the soil on hillsides, and provide shelter and food for wildlife.

In São Sebastião, a large part of this forest is protected. The São Sebastião unit of the Serra do Mar State Park, created in 1998, covers 26,268 hectares and spans about 70% of the municipality, according to the São Paulo State Government's Protected Areas Guide. The guide describes the entire park as the largest area of full protection on the Brazilian coast. The Cachoeira das 7 Quedas waterfall hike itself is listed in the state guide as part of the park.

Planting native species also helps endangered species. The APA Marinha do Litoral Norte's management plan records the juçara palm (palmito-juçara), a species threatened with extinction, on São Sebastião's Ilha das Couves. Find out what to look for in the forest in the Atlantic Forest in Maresias.

A waterfall runs down the tilted rock into the pool, seen through branches and vines, at the Cachoeira das 7 Quedas, in Maresias — Atlantic Forest around the Cachoeira das 7 Quedas, in Maresias.

How can tourism protect the islands and the sea?

The islands visited on boat tours lie within the APA Marinha do Litoral Norte, a sustainable-use conservation unit created by State Decree 53,525/2008, covering about 316,000 hectares across São Sebastião, Ilhabela, Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba. The APA's management plan classified São Sebastião's Ilha das Couves and As Ilhas as critical or degraded areas due to human activity, with issues such as litter, bonfires and introduced species. The APA's rules give priority to not generating waste at all.

The same plan notes that the region hosts many young green sea turtles, an endangered species. Best practice is to observe from a distance, without touching or feeding them.

A visitor rests against a coconut tree on the grass, facing the rocky headland and the blue sea of Praia de Calhetas — Rocky headland and blue sea at Praia de Calhetas, in São Sebastião.

How can you get involved?

Got electronics sitting around at home? Bring them to the agency, at Av. Francisco Loup, 500, or message the team on WhatsApp before your trip to help turn that material into saplings.
Bring back all the trash you produce on the tours, including food scraps.
Don't feed wild animals or fish.
Stay on marked trails and don't take plants, shells or rocks.
Avoid stepping on corals and rocky reefs while swimming and snorkeling.

The experiences that bring you closest to this forest are the Cachoeira das 7 Quedas waterfall hike, 2 km round trip, easy level, with a licensed ecotourism guide, and Lookout Rappelling, on the Trilha dos Mirantes. To learn about the protected area, read about the Serra do Mar State Park in São Sebastião and check out the history of MaresiasTur.

Frequently asked questions

How many trees has MaresiasTur planted?: Over 2,000 native Atlantic Forest saplings, with plantings every month for more than 5 years.
What is São Sebastião's E-LIXO program?: It's a campaign by São Sebastião City Hall, through its Environment Department, that trades unused electronic waste for saplings of native Atlantic Forest species. MaresiasTur is an official partner of the program.
Where can I drop off e-waste in Maresias?: The MaresiasTur agency, at Av. Francisco Loup, 500, is an E-LIXO drop-off point. The Environment Department, at Shopping Pierotti, also accepts the material.
Which electronics can be traded for saplings?: Items such as computers, monitors, laptops, keyboards, mice, cell phones, tablets, chargers, batteries and power cells.
Which MaresiasTur tour goes through the Atlantic Forest?: The Cachoeira das 7 Quedas waterfall hike: 2 km round trip, easy level, with a licensed ecotourism guide, passing through a conservation unit.