ISSN: 2640-2718
Authors: Mendez GP*, Mahler CF and Umbelino LF
The present study evaluates municipal solid waste management through environmental indicators. To this end, the updated Waste Management Condition Index (ICGRA), formulated through changes to the ICGR, a proposed index validated by Dantas KMC, et al. was designed and used as a tool. To create the ICGRA, 22 environmental performance indicators were inserted with the purpose of adjusting the index to the requirements of Brazil’s National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) and to the current conditions of the solid waste treatment. The scores were obtained by assigning weights to the indicators and with the value found for each municipality, the waste management was classified as adequate or inadequate, in a range between zero and ten points. The ICGRA method was applied in ten municipalities of small and medium size in the state of Rio de Janeiro. None of them reached the level of management considered adequate by the method. In addition to the 22 indicators inserted, the ICGRA worksheet contains the 40 original ICGR indicators used in the evaluation carried out in 2008. Thus, it was possible to evaluate the results in a comparative way, showing that only four of the ten municipalities studied improved. The improvement seen in the 4 municipalities is in relation to the index used in the evaluation, the ICGR, same index used in 2008. It does not mean that all aspects of solid waste management have evolved, but that the index composed of waste management evaluation indicators improved in relation to 2008. The results also reveal that the PNRS was not effective in its first seven years. The proposed method proved to be practical and easy to apply, helping to improve the evaluation methods in the area of waste management already developed in Brazil.
Keywords: Waste Management; ICGRA; Waste; Misconceptions
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