Title: Solid waste policy in Brazil: learnings and challenges after a decade of implementation

Authors: Marcelo Seleme Matias; Isabella Pimentel Pincelli; Lisete Celina Lange; João Alberto Ferreira; Armando Borges de Castilhos Junior

Addresses: Centro Tecnológico – Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade, Caixa Postal: 476, CEP: 88.040-970, Florianópolis – SC, Brazil ' Centro Tecnológico – Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade, Caixa Postal: 476, CEP: 88.040-970, Florianópolis – SC, Brazil ' Escola de Engenharia – Dep. Eng. Sanitária e Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Campus Pampulha, Av. Antonio Carlos, 6627, CEP: 31.270-901, Belo Horizonte – MG, Brazil ' Faculdade de Engenharia – Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e do Meio Ambiente, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, 5029-F. Maracanã, CEP: 20.550-900, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil ' Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade, Caixa Postal: 476, CEP: 88.040-970, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil

Abstract: The Brazilian National Solid Waste Policy (NSWP) was established in 2010. This article evaluates the NSWP influence on generation, collection, sorting and treatment of household solid waste (HSW), healthcare solid waste and construction and demolition (C&D) solid waste. We evaluated, by a segmented regression analysis, whether Brazilian per capita HSW generation changed after the NSWP. We found a statistical rupture on HSW generation rate, which decreased from 2012 to 2017. In contrast, more than 65% of HSW were disposed of in landfill in the last years, exceeding 80% in 2017, and there was a low efficacy of solid waste sorting at household level. The disposal of about 50% of the healthcare solid waste and 70% of the C&D solid waste are unknown. The solid waste management in Brazil has not shown optimistic advances in recent years despite the existence of the NSWP.

Keywords: solid waste policy; municipal solid waste management; household solid waste generation rate; segmented regression; recyclable materials; disposal; treatment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2022.128212

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2022 Vol.30 No.2, pp.168 - 190

Received: 27 Jan 2020
Accepted: 07 Jun 2020
Published online: 12 Jan 2023 *

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