Urban Social Waste and Urban Solid Waste in Brazil: Problems, Consequences and Possible Solutions

Abstract

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions, with a surface area of 8,510,296km2 , which is distributed among 26 federal states and a federal district. However, due to an extremely unequal income distribution, one of the major social problems that the country still faces is urban segregation, experienced by a large part of its almost 212 million inhabitants, who still find severe problems with housing, public transportation, security, health, employment, education and infrastructure, especially with regard tothe process of collecting and the treatment of waste generated. In the case of solid urban waste (SUW), approximately 190,000tons are produced daily, which implies a per capita production rate of 0.90kg(inhab.day)-1. Of the total generated, a fraction greater than 90% (w/w) is collected and, of this fraction, a percentage of 25% is still disposed of in open dumps, generating environmental impacts of different magnitudes. In addition, of the quantity of SUW generated in Brazil, about 55% (w/w) corresponds to putrescible organic matter, which could be fully used as an alternative source of energy (methane gas, for example), which normally does not occur. In these terms, Brazil becomes a country with strong social, economic and public health problems, and with regard to basic sanitation, there are still great demands, especially when considering the collection and treatment of the various types of waste generated.