Avaliação dos impactos econômicos, sociais e ambientais do sistema de gestão de RSS do complexo Hospital de Clínicas da UFPR em Curitiba

Abstract

The growing demand for hospital services in recent decades, driven by the expansion of Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) and population aging, has led to a significant increase in healthcare waste (HCW) generation. This scenario, intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic, exposed persistent weaknesses in waste management and in the reporting to the National Solid Waste Information System (SINIR), hindering situational diagnosis and sustainable sector planning. Despite regulatory and technological advances, the economic, social, and environmental impacts of Healthcare Waste Management Systems (HCWMS) remain underexplored in national literature. Addressing this gap requires an integrated approach to hospital sustainability that combines operational efficiency, social responsibility, and environmental mitigation. Within this context, the Complexo Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Paraná (CHC-UFPR) — a member of the Ebserh network and recognized for its consolidated sustainable waste management practices — provides a strategic case for evaluating how proper segregation, disposal, and social inclusion can generate measurable benefits across the three sustainability dimensions. This descriptive case study, with a qualitative-quantitative approach, analyzed secondary data from Waste Management Plans (2018 and 2022), weighing reports, records from the Food Production and Distribution Unit, and systematic field observations. Data were processed using electronic spreadsheets to identify trends and evaluate economic, social, and environmental impacts. Systematic observations focused on Group D waste generated in the Central Building, conducted in 2024 in two surgical inpatient units, one of which participated in a pilot segregation project. Results showed an increase in total waste generation from 570.1 tons in 2017 to 731.6 tons in 2022, peaking in 2021 due to the pandemic. Group D represented the largest share, highlighting challenges in segregation efficiency. The average management cost in 2022 was BRL 0.78/kg, which would have risen by over 20% without recyclable separation. An estimated 767.1 tons of recyclable materials were diverted from landfills, avoiding approximately BRL 445,000 in disposal costs and generating around BRL 545,000 in revenue for partner cooperatives. Socially, over 15,000 professionals were trained, and waste pickers were integrated into the system, strengthening occupational safety and reducing social vulnerability. Environmentally, recycling efforts prevented the emission of about 1,170 tons of CO₂ equivalent. The study concludes that the CHC-UFPR’s HCWMS demonstrates significant progress in integrating sustainability into hospital management, though further improvements are needed, particularly in organic waste recovery and environmental indicator monitoring. Overall, the findings show that circular economybased practices produce tangible economic, social, and environmental benefits, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advancing sustainable management in Brazil’s public hospital network.