Waste In Brazil Research Articles

Regulatory requirements to support a specific regulation of oil norm waste in Brazil.

The oil and natural gas industry is one of the largest producers of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) worldwide. The scale and sludge are NORM wastes with the highest activity concentration levels, reaching 3500Bq per g of 226Ra (scale). As wastes (sludge, scale, and produced water) are constantly produced in routine activities, a specific regulation for these wastes is necessary. Therefore, this study presents the regulatory requirements that may serve as a basis for the responsible regulatory body to prepare a specific regulation for the NORM waste generated by the oil industry. As a study published showing that the disposal of bulk NORM waste (not packaged wastes) is viable in Brazil, requirements for the management of these wastes and the characteristics of the landfill for disposal were included.

Evaluation of circular economy practices for management of the reverse chain of electronic waste in Brazil

Evaluation of circular economy practices for management of the reverse chain of electronic waste in Brazil

Resilience optimization in disruption-prone sustainable reverse supply chains for lead-acid battery waste management in Brazil: A stochastic model for public and private policy formulation

This study explores the relationship between disruptive events in supply chains and investments from public and private policies aimed at recovery. It focuses on the improper disposal of lead-acid battery waste in Brazil, which poses environmental and health risks, and suggests strategies for managing this waste through Brazilian reverse supply chains. A stochastic model was developed to optimize investments in resilient capabilities like absorption, adaptation, and recovery before and after disruptions. The results show that proactive investments should prioritize creating redundancies and collaboration to ensure timely restoration of waste supply, especially during low-severity events. The study provides a model that guides the allocation of resources for sustainable waste management in Brazilian lead-acid battery operations and highlights the importance of public and private policy formulation in enhancing supply chain resilience.

Assessing the feasibility of electric energy generation from agricultural waste in Brazil

In Brazil, the alternatives for electric energy generation are getting scarce. On the other hand, the country is a large agricultural producer and the waste from the crops is not used in thermoelectric power plants. A major obstacle for such utilization are transportation costs. We propose a model that describes the value of placing multiple power plants fueled with agricultural waste in certain locations and selecting given regions to source materials for these plants. The model allows assessing the feasibility of producing electric energy from agricultural waste in given regions of the country. We model the decision about where to build the power plants as an optimization problem and apply heuristic algorithms to find its solutions. We used the proposed model and optimizer to analyze 432 scenarios involving the states of São Paulo and Paraná, in Brazil. Results indicate that generating electrical energy from agricultural waste can be economically viable with annual discount rates below 20% and producer’s fee under 7.5% of the final product price. In addition, the investor should build the power plants to cope with current levels of agricultural waste supply and Paraná offers opportunities with larger present value than São Paulo.

Challenges in municipal solid waste management-A comparative case study between selected metropolitan areas Brazil and Portugal

This research was aimed at analysing the management of urban solid waste in Brazil and Portugal, with an emphasis on the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto and the Recife/PE/Brazil Metropolitan Area. An exploratory research project was conducted with a survey of secondary data, technical visits to institutions and companies in the waste sector, and a comparative analysis of the situation in the areas studied. In Portugal, the management of municipal solid waste in the period before 1995 was predominantly municipal, which evolved into a consortium of municipalities with the entry of Portugal into the European Union in 1986. The country adapted its legislation to the EU Directives, and from 1997, the waste sector suffered a boost with the adoption of the first Strategic Plan for Urban Solid Waste, which was constituted by 40 public waste management companies that associated several municipalities, and some of them also had the state's share in their share capital. However, due to the lack of economic scale of some of these companies, there were mergers, and at the end of 2010, the total number of companies was 23, grouped into entities of a multi-municipal character (when the state enters into the composition of the share capital of the society) and inter-municipal (only constituted by municipalities), currently responsible for the management of waste in Portugal. In Brazil, the National Solid Waste Policy was approved by law in 2010, establishing lines and guidelines for integrated waste management with defined time targets. However, it is not yet fully implemented because about 45% of municipalities still dispose of waste at dumping sites. With regard to the municipalities of the Recife Metropolitan Area, the disposal of waste has already been environmentally appropriate since 2019. According to 2022 data from Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies, the average rate of selective collection in the country is approximately 4%. The research results reveal that Brazil needs to increase selective collection, eliminate approximately 3,600 existing landfills and finally regulate urban solid waste services. While in Portugal, management is well organized as a result of the implementation of PERSU in 1995, there are still challenges to be overcome in order to meet the goals set in the New Legislative Framework, which have not yet been achieved. The specificities and the context are obviously different between the countries, drawing attention to the difference in effectiveness in the implementation of public policies edited by the legal diplomas of the two countries for solid waste management.

An assessment of the consumption and disposal of medications home use

In the current scenario, the market society, an economic model consolidated in many parts of the world, faces some social and environmental challenges, such as the solid waste disposal and treatment of different residues generated daily, especially in big cities. In Brazil, 4,540 municipalities provided medical waste collection services, and more than a third (36.2%) sent the MS to landfills, dumps, and septic ditches. This issue faced by municipalities is challenging as they try to promote less damaging management that impacts the environment due to urban demography and fragile socio-environmental conditions. Action as reverse logistics is a strategy that enables the return of after-sales and post-consumption waste to the business environment and the productive sector, promoting the circular economy, the recovery of waste, the life cycle of products, decrease in the use of materials, reduction of environmental impacts, compliance with current regulations and non-contamination of the environment. The assessment of unusual medications and population knowledge allows drawing an overview of the disposal of uncommon medications for home use by an electronic questionnaire addressing different questions, referring to the identification of the user's profile, various forms of consumption, storage, and disposal of medication waste, and knowledge about the local regulation. Most medications consumed by the population are antibiotics, analgesics, fever reducers, and pain relief without medical recommendations, not used to seeing the expiration date, and not reading the drug leaflet. The assessment population could only pay a little for the additional tax for final medication waste disposal. Most of the participants disposed of the unusual medications in the household garbage. Finally, the reverse logistics implementation of medication waste in Brazil will be a significant challenge for decreasing the environmental impacts and pollution because of the culture of the local population.

Circular Economy in Guaiamum and Uçá Crab Waste in Brazil: Potential By-Products—A Systematic Literature Review

This study aimed to fill a gap in the sustainable management of the reverse supply chain of Guaiamum and Uçá crab waste in Brazil, an endangered species. The study focused on the circular economy, governance, and recent developments, and identified circular economy practices in the utilization of solid waste from the fishing and collection of these species in extractive regions, in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A systematic literature review was conducted in major scientific databases. The selection of the 20 research publications followed pre-established criteria, including relevance to the SDGs and systematic review methodology. The results highlighted key variables related to the characteristics of by-products and the factors that influence the adoption of circular economy practices, in line with relevant SDGs. The most mentioned by-products include animal feed, organic fertilizer, biofuels, crab shell chitin biocomposite derivatives, as well as Chitosan-based composites for food packaging applications due to their non-toxicity, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties. The study also identified future research opportunities covering education, policy, and management, in line with the UN SDGs. This study emphasizes the importance of the circular economy for solid crab waste in Brazil, a country with 12% of the world’s mangroves, which are essential both as a nursery for crabs and for ocean nutrition. It also analyzes current trends and initiatives in the reverse management of Guaiamum and Uçá crab waste, in the context of Supply Chain and Sustainable Management.

Construction waste in Brazil: a narrative review

The final destination or disposition given to the RS, especially in developing countries, as in Brazil, is carried out in greater proportions in an inadequate manner, which corroborates, in the case of the DRC, in serious problems of an aesthetic, environmental and public health order. The objective is to quantitatively analyze the correlation between population growth and CPR generation, in a timeframe between 2017 and 2022 in Brazil. The method applied was deductive. The research was exploratory in nature and applied. Secondary data collection was carried out from access to the free data platform of the Panorama of Solid Waste in Brazil published by the Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning Companies and Special Residues - ABRELPE. A qualitative analysis of the population growth and CPR index collected between 2017 and 2021 was performed to verify the correlation between these variables in each Region of Brazil. The five Regions of Brazil presented population growth as a strong influence factor in the rate of CPR collected in the five years of this analysis, in addition, other factors are linked to this action such as: Processing losses related to inefficiency in the working methods and disqualified labor, besides losses in stocks: associated with inadequate storage of materials, as well as excess stock. There was a tendency of increasing collection of the DRC in the five Brazilian Regions. The North Region has the lowest per capita production of the five Brazilian regions, being influenced by the low economic influence of civil construction of this period. The population growth variable has a direct influence with the CPR collected in the five regions of the country.

Waste quantification and carbon footprint of street market food waste in Brazil

Waste quantification and carbon footprint of street market food waste in Brazil

Electronic waste, the national solid waste policy and the 2030 Agenda

Electrical and electronic equipment is obsolescent and is therefore discarded incorrectly, causing significant adverse effects on the environment. Faced with this issue, the objectives of this work were the identification of the environmental and socioeconomic aspects related to electroelectronic waste, the way of managing this waste in Brazil, and whether or not it was in line with the goals set in the National Policy on Solid Waste (PNRS) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs – Agenda 2030). The methodology used was the bibliographic review, since in the data previously used in articles, theses, dissertations, books and electronic links, evidence was sought about the disposal and the problems that electronic waste causes to the environment. The data obtained and analyzed indicated that there is a divergence between the PNRS and the targets set in the SDGs. Finally, the gap identified with regard to electroelectronic waste has shown that the efficient management of this waste requires the participation of all actors involved, from producers, consumers, recyclers, to the public authorities, scientific institutions and civil society.

Weaknesses and potentialities in the management of urban solid waste in Brazil

Resumo Diversas práticas, classificadas como ações e modelos de gestão social e ambientalmente adequados, definidos na Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS), vêm sendo empregadas em municípios brasileiros. Todavia, em muitos municípios, são verificadas múltiplas fragilidades no que diz respeito à gestão dos Resíduos Sólidos Urbanos (RSU). Conhecer as fragilidades e potencialidades que os municípios enfrentam é de suma importância para servir como base na busca por soluções sustentáveis e alinhadas às especificidades das realidades locais. A partir dos dados obtidos em textos científicos, foi construída a matriz SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), visando avaliar as forças, fraquezas, oportunidades e ameaças da gestão dos RSU no cenário brasileiro. Os resultados apontam que o Brasil é um país com grande potencial para gerir seus RSU, contudo enfrenta problemas de ordens diversas, que vão desde a ausência de recursos financeiros e de pessoal até a falta de vontade política em priorizar as questões que envolvem os RSU. A partir dos resultados obtidos, foi possível sugerir elementos visando impulsionar as potencialidades e ações para que as fragilidades possam ser superadas. Assim, espera-se que este trabalho auxilie os gestores públicos a construírem planos de ação que possam ser executados com maior eficiência na realidade local.

Context and prospects for decentralized composting of Municipal Solid Waste in Brazil

Factors such as urbanization contribute to the constant increase in the generation of municipal solid waste, of which the organic fraction is the most significant. Composting is a versatile and scalable alternative for managing organic waste, and European countries have been intensifying the adoption of this strategy, both centrally and decentrally. On the other hand, the management of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) in Brazil, with the exception of unsuccessful experiments with centralized composting systems, is limited to disposal in landfills or dumps, rendering recoverable organic material useless and generating significant emissions of methane, one of the main greenhouse gases. Studies addressing decentralized composting as a strategy to improve waste management are still infrequent in Brazil. In this context, this article aimed to outline an overview of the generation of OFMSW in the world and in Brazil, as well as initiatives for its proper management. Based on a literature review, it compares the management of OFMSW in Europe and Brazil, and points out perspectives from the current Brazilian regulatory framework. Then, it discusses the potential benefits and challenges in implementing and operating decentralized systems. Decentralized composting (community or domestic) is a low-cost alternative for the management of OFMSW, but requires citizen engagement, in addition to attention to the quality of the final products. Future studies should address the positive impacts and possible restrictions of this alternative in Brazilian contexts, contributing to enable its integration into the management models currently adopted in the country.

Selective collection: economic and socio-environmental impacts in municipalities of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

This study estimates the economic, social and environmental contributions of the selective collection of solid waste, highlighting the increase in the production of this waste in Brazil, despite the existence of robust environmental legislation. Addressing Law nº. 12,305/2010 – National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) and the Municipal Solid Waste Management Plan (PMGRS), the work proposes the implementation of selective collection in municipalities. Based on case studies and bibliographical research, questionnaires are applied to managers of organizations that perform the service. Selective collection contributes to a cleaner environment, favoring correct environmental practices. Furthermore, it promotes social inclusion through cooperative organizations, as provided for in the PNRS, generating income for participants. The study highlights the selected collection as an agent of environmental awareness and socioeconomic inclusion, verifying the specific difficulties of the analyzed municipalities and defending the strengthening of the organizations involved.

An Integrated Framework for Environmental and Social Life Cycle Assessments in PET Bottle Waste Management: A Case Study in Brazil

The improper disposal of PET bottle waste in Brazil jeopardizes the sustainability goals, impacting the social, economic, and environmental aspects. In order to tackle this issue, this study introduces a framework that was developed using a combination of environmental and social life cycle assessments (LCAs), along with a modified Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology. Nine disposal scenarios were evaluated in Bauru, Brazil, including various combinations of landfills, sorting cooperatives, and incineration. Environmental (Env-LCA) and social (S-LCA) assessments followed the ISO 14040 standards, with the S-LCA incorporating the UNEP/SETAC guidelines. Scenario 9 was identified as the most sustainable option from the evaluated scenarios, with 100% of the waste sent to sorting cooperatives, with modified collection schemes. Conversely, Scenario 1, with a high landfill percentage, proved to be the least sustainable.

Recyclable waste in Brazilian municipalities: A spatial-temporal analysis before and after the national policy on solid waste

In 2010, the Brazilian authorities approved the National Policy on Solid Waste (NPSW) with the aim of promoting the recycling and reuse of solid waste. However, assessing the distribution and progress of recyclable material recovery following the implementation of this key government policy remains a challenging task. Therefore, this study employs a spatial-temporal analysis to investigate the impact of the NPSW on the recovery of recyclable waste in Brazil. We employed spatial statistical techniques such as Getis-Ord Gi* and Global Moran's I. The results revealed significant and heterogeneous clustering of recycled materials among municipalities, both before and after the implementation of the NPSW. The analysis demonstrated that recycled waste tended to cluster in more developed and urbanized areas, while a considerable number of cold spots were observed in less developed regions or densely populated areas, indicating low recycling rates. These findings raise environmental concerns for policymakers and emphasize the need for interventions to enhance recycling efforts. The study highlights the urgency of improving municipal solid waste management and raising awareness among local communities about the economic and environmental benefits of recycling, particularly in areas characterized by unsanitary living conditions, poverty, and low-income disparities. Therefore, it is recommended to tailor the legal framework to local realities, considering the vast and socioeconomically diverse landscape of Brazil.

Barriers toward circular economy transition: Exploring different stakeholders' perspectives

AbstractCircular economy (CE) attempts to improve the environmental and economic performance of existing production systems and particularly waste management through the introduction of principles of reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, redesign, and remanufacture. There are still many challenges regarding its implementation. This article investigates the barriers to adopting CE practices in the Brazilian waste management system. In the empirical research first stage, a workshop was conducted with researchers and managers. In the second stage, 1 year later, interviews were conducted in 22 organizations across different categories of the waste system. The outcomes indicate that barriers are more related to the implementation of CE practices, and the lack of legislation enforcement and coordination of distinct levels of government. New dimensions for explaining barriers to CE in developing countries also emerged from field research as the low market value of some residues and the informality in the system.

Valorization of Brazilian waste foundry sand from circular economy perspective

The manufacturing and processing industries play a vital role in the Brazilian economy. However, they also produce significant waste from natural resources, much of which is disposed of in industrial landfills. To promote sustainability, it is essential to extend the life cycle of industrial waste by incorporating it into new production cycles. In this study, we evaluated the solid industrial residue (foundry sand) with the CPQvA system, in which the environmental class is evaluated by the classification criterion, chemical and mineralogical potential is analyzed, quantity and viability are identified, and applications are suggested. Each CPQvA system criterion includes specific questions defining the criticality index (Ic). Through multicriteria valuation, decision-making confidence is increased. We evaluated four products as possible candidates for the valorization of foundry sand: asphalt mass (P1), concrete blocks for civil construction (P2), hexagonal concrete blocks for interlocking pavement (P3), and mortar (P4). After assessing the environmental impact and economic feasibility, applications P1, P2, and P3 were found to be the most favourable for valorizing foundry sand.

Labor and Economic Vulnerability of Brazilian Waste Pickers During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Labor and Economic Vulnerability of Brazilian Waste Pickers During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Electronic waste in Brazil: Generation, collection, recycling and the covid pandemic

Brazil is one of the main producers of e-waste in the world, but its waste management system does not encourage a circular economy. The country lacks reliable data on important metrics such as rates of collection and recycling and the destination of resources. There has been a slow regulatory progress, but it is not possible to measure its effectiveness without the aforementioned data. We obtained primary data to bridge this information gap by mapping and interviewing e-waste recyclers in Brazil. The mapping identified 140 recyclers, of which 82 were confirmed. Their geographical distribution closely matches the demographics. The COVID-19 pandemic did not have a severe impact on the country’s e-waste recycling chain. We have been able to estimate that Brazil recycles about 1.6 kt of e-waste per month (77 kt per year), based on the amount of waste processed, which is only 3.6 % of the total e-waste generated. There is an uneven size distribution among e-waste recyclers; most (51.4 %) are small facilities processing ≤ 10 t per month. Large facilities (processing ≥100 t per month) are in the minority (11.4 %), yet they are responsible for processing 70.5 %. These large facilities have the most advanced and automated processes, while the small facilities rely mainly on manual tools to dismantle the incoming e-waste. Despite observing an increase in more advanced processes, there has also been an increase in the number of facilities that export material (mainly to the USA and Europe). Therefore, Brazil is still unable to recover valuable end-materials from the recycling chain (e.g., gold, silver, rare earth elements), but seems to be supplying a more valuable product to international buyers who will, in turn, recover these end-materials.

An outlook on the management of construction and demolition waste in Brazil

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste comes from engineering activities. In Brazil, thousands of tonnes of C&D waste are generated daily, and they are often clandestinely disposed of in vacant lots, riverbanks, and outskirts of cities. Most of the C&D waste generated in Brazilian cities could be fully recycled. This study aims to provide an outlook on the management of C&D waste in Brazil. A survey about the procedures related to C&D waste used in construction companies was carried out to evaluate the fulfilment of policies established by the Brazilian government. The leading causes of the generation of C&D waste and its characterisation were also shown. C&D waste collection, disposal, and recycling management among the Brazilian regions were compared. The results showed that C&D waste in Brazil is, in general, composed of mortar, concrete, wood and glass, and such a waste is placed on construction sites in a disorderly and mixed way. The C&D waste management is still incipient, and recycled materials lack more effective quality control for large-scale use. There is inequality in the management of C&D waste among the Brazilian regions. The southeast region has 65% of the recycling plants, while there is none in the north region. As for the C&D waste collected, the southeast region collects 52.1% of the total and the northern region, only 3.9%. It was observed that a more effective engagement of the Brazilian government is needed to improve both the collection system and the recycling practices.