Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Ci. e Nat., Santa Maria, v. 41, e52, 2019.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/2179460X37500

Received: 28/08/2019 Accepted: 01/10/2019

Section Environment

Urban solid waste in the southern of Rio Grande do Sul state

Louise Hoss^I

Natali Rodrigues dos Santos^II

Carolina Faccio Demarco^III

Ana Luiza Bertani Dall' Agnol^IV

Larissa Loebens^V

Maurizio Silveira Quadro^VI

Robson Andreazza ^VII

Érico Kunde Corrêa^VIII

^I     Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brasil - hosslouise@gmail.com

^II    Prefeitura Municipal de Morro Redondo, Núcleo de vigilância em saúde e meio ambiente, RS, Brasil - natalisantosquimica@yahoo.com.br

^III   Doutoranda, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brasil - carol_demarco@gmail.com

^IV   Mestranda, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brasil - analu_bda@yahoo.com.br

^V    Graduanda, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brasil - laryloebens2012@gmail.com

^VI   Doutor, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brasil - mausq@hotmail.com

^VII  Pós Doutor ,  Professor Adjunto IV da Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brasil -  robsonandreazza@yahoo.com.br

^VIII Doutor, Professor Associado da Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brasil - ericokundecorrea@yahoo.com.br

Abstract

The National Solid Waste Policy creates tools for the correct management of waste, such as municipal solid waste management plans. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the generation of municipal solid waste and public management policies in municipalities in the Southern Zone of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Fourteen municipalities were analyzed, where the data of urban and rural population, population served, amount of annual waste collection, annual per capita generation, amount of recycled waste and the final disposal site of the wastes were collected. The municipality with the lowest percentage of collection coverage was Pedras Altas with a value of 35.1% and the highest was Pelotas, with a value of 96.55% collection coverage. Only 50% of the municipalities analyzed have an agreement with recycling cooperatives or associations. The municipality of Morro Redondo has the highest recycling rate, of 16.25%. Regarding the final disposal, most of the municipalities carry out the outsourcing of this service, and only the municipality of Chuí has its own sanitary landfill.

Keywords: Solid waste; Waste management; Public policies

1 Introduction

The concern regarding the environment has increased in the last few decades, especially after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, in which the discussion about the environmental impacts of human activities on human health and the planet became popular. Among the main environmental problems, it can be mention the loss of biological diversity, over-exploitation of resources and contamination of soil, water and air (BORINELLI, 2011).

One of the causes of these problems is the inadequate management of solid waste, which can be defined as "solid and semi-solid waste, resulting from activities of the community: industrial, domestic, hospital, commercial, agricultural, service and sweeping [...]", according to NBR 10,004 (ABNT, 2004).

It