Tool to assess the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility study for the concession of urban solid waste management services

Abstract

Intermunicipal consortia have proven to be an alternative in managing urban solid waste (USW), mainly for small municipalities seeking solutions both for treatment and final disposal of waste and for scale gain and resources optimization. This study aimed to propose a tool to assess the Technical, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility Study (EVTEA) applied in an intermunicipal public consortia in Minas Gerais, which was selected for the implementation of a pilot project by the Federal Government to hire specialized technical services necessary for structuring concession projects in the area of solid waste management. The methodology was structured in two stages: analysis of management, and billing mechanisms in the consortia municipalities; proposition and application of an EVTEA assessment tool for the management services applied in the consortia. The results of the first stage indicated that the small and small/medium-sized consortia municipalities need to advance in waste management by applying the principles of non-generation, reduction, reuse, and recycling, and promoting the social inclusion of collectors to achieve their sustainability. In the second stage, the assessment tool applied in a consortia made it possible to quantify the performance in the preparation of the study through the use of proposed indicators related to service and sufficiency of information to meet the analysis of the study. The consortia final assessment indicator (FAI) resulted as incomplete, that is, there is a need for a complete and sufficient approach regarding the quality of the information contained in its content to meet the guidelines for the structuring of projects related to the management of urban solid waste in the elaboration of the EVTEA.