A multi-criteria analysis of alternatives for the treatment of municipal solid waste in the municipality of juazeiro do norte ceará

Abstract

Worldwide, public managers need to plan and implement sustainable alternatives for the management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) that consider waste treatment plants. However, the selection of waste treatment alternatives is a complex process which must consider different criteria. In this sense, the present article had the objective of analyzing different MSW treatment alternatives for the municipality of Juazeiro do Norte in Ceará, Brazil, through the evaluation of economic, environmental, social, technical, and regulatory criteria. The Multicriteria Decision Making Method AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was applied, supported by several quantitative techniques of projection and data collected in the field and in secondary sources. The results show that alternatives 1 (decentralized manual sorting center and composting units) and 3 (decentralized manual sorting center and anaerobic digesters) are the most favorable MSW treatment options for Juazeiro do Norte, with a percentage of 25,11 and 24,97%, respectively. The decentralized alternatives 1 and 3 have an advantage over the centralized alternatives 2 (automated sorting center and centralized composting unit), 4 (automated sorting center and centralized biodigester) and 5 (automated sorting center and incinerator) due, mainly, to the greater generation of jobs and technical feasibility. However, sensitivity analyzes enhances that, in an evaluation in which the economic criteria had a weight greater than or equal to 70%, the overall result would change significantly and the centralized alternatives 2 and 4, alternatives with better economic results, would be considered as the best MSW treatment options.