Analysis of the potential of municipal solid waste in Brazil

Abstract This study presents an evaluation of the potential of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Brazil as an instrument to address two of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations Organization (UN). The MDG1 refers to eradicate poverty and hunger and the MDG7 refers to ensure environment sustainability. The main objective is to demonstrate to the decision makers that solid waste can be an ally for combating misery, hunger, and reducing CO2 emissions. Two scenarios are analyzed, the actual situation and a proposed scenario. In the actual scenario, the solid waste is dumped in open areas and left to decompose and liberate biogas freely to the atmosphere. In the proposed scenario the recyclables are commercialized and the biodegradable organic matter is deposited in landfills for biogas production. The results from this scenario show that commercializing the recyclables can be viewed as a permanent source of funds which can be used to implement new pro-environment projects, improve the infrastructure of waste collection services, and the social inclusion of waste collectors among others. The organic matter if deposited in prepared landfills will produce biogas to generate energy and alleviate greenhouse effect emissions to the atmosphere. This paper shows that adopting public policies to implement the proposed scenario tremendous benefits can be achieved such as additional monetary gains, energy savings, reduction of emissions, besides reducing public health problems and expenditure.