Regional arrangements for the final disposal of solid waste: a case study of the State of Paraíba

Abstract

The increase in volume and poor municipal solid waste (MSW) management create challenges for environmental, social and economic sustainability. As a result, regionalized waste management systems create benefits such as economies of scale and minimization of environmental impacts. Therefore, the aim of this article was to analyze the formalized regional arrangements and investigate possible partnerships between public and/or private institutions established for MSW final disposal in landfills in Paraíba. The research was based on secondary data and technical visits, in order to identify the places of final disposal of MSW and compare with the regionalization study of the State Plan for Solid Waste (SPSW-PB). It was concluded that the proposal for state regionalization, as well as the consortia formed and/or in formalization, was not successful, and 9 of the 14 geoadministrative regions proposed in the SPSW-PB were not developed. Thus, the municipalities have participated in other arrangements, 45% of the landfills used by the municipalities were constituted from public-private partnerships. In addition, it was found that some private landfills are in disagreement with the legislation, requiring adjustments. This way, the arrangements formed for the sharing of landfills should serve as a guide for the government to create mechanisms for adapting efficient MSW management.