Gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos: uma proposta metodológica de avaliação da sustentabilidade de municípios de pequeno porte

Abstract

Solid waste management is a critically critical issue for all municipalities. With population growth and increased waste production, implementing an efficient and sustainable management system has become an urgent necessity. Failure to effectively manage this waste can lead to adverse effects on municipalities, such as environmental and visual impacts and public health problems, which are increasingly common in Brazilian cities. To this end, this research aims to identify methods and techniques for assessing the degree of sustainability of urban solid waste management systems in small municipalities, based on the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. In addition to developing its own assessment methodology, anchored in indicators adapted to the municipal context and validated with the support of experts through the Delphi method, it was applied in municipalities in the western region of the state of Paraná. The method presented qualitative and quantitative approaches and applied instruments such as the "Sustainability Barometer" and a matrix of indicators with 60 criteria, distributed among the three dimensions of sustainability. Based on data obtained through a structured questionnaire and document analysis, it was possible to measure the level of sustainability of solid waste management in two participating municipalities, which achieved, respectively, 63.35% and 57.66% of their sustainability level, classifying themselves as "nearly sustainable." The application of the methodology of the demonstrated proposal is highly effective and adaptable for assessing sustainability in municipal solid waste management, demonstrating its potential to guide more sustainable management practices and promote lasting benefits to the environment and the local community.