Chapter 32 - Municipal solid waste management in Brazil: overview and trade-offs between different treatment technologies

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation has increased significantly in recent decades. Its management, treatment, and disposal are global issues. Waste management takes into account the socioeconomic characteristics of the local community and the generators, as well as how these influence the amount generated and the characterization of this waste. When designing a management system, the population and growth projections must be taken into account. As the population grows, more investment in management actions and tools is required, and the system's coverage areas should be expanded over time. Incineration, anaerobic digestion, and landfilling stand out as the best treatment and final disposal options. However, because of the costs and environmental impacts of these methods, it is interesting to adopt waste management practices such as minimization, reuse, recycling, and composting to reduce waste volume. To be effective, various techniques must be used, making the management system even more complex. Several technologies may be required, and in some cases, one technology must be chosen over another. As a result, this chapter provides an overview of MSW management in Brazil, as well as trade-offs between various treatment technologies and final destination methods.