Inadequate disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a common practice in some Brazilian municipalities, raising the level of economic and socio-environmental impacts. The main objective was to characterize the MSW of the municipality of Simão Dias (SE) through field visitations. The elaboration tools were a checklist, characterization sheet, and observation evaluation matrices (GUT and SWOT). Eighty-four (84) points were identified as irregular deposit spots for these materials, of which the volume estimated was around 6,150m³. A disposal period of 3 years has been considered in the visited places, and the estimated cost was approximately R$319,234 (R$2.63/hab. year) for the withdrawal of MSW at all points. Most observations (73.8%) occurred due to the accumulation of construction waste. The main challenges were the inexistence of public policies for proper MSW management, as recommended by Federal Law 12.305/2010; lack of knowledge about the origin and quantification of MSW by the local government; lack of adequate segregation at the generating source and inefficiency of actions for selective collection. Among the opportunities that stand out, the performance of the existing cooperative and the participation in an inter-municipal consortium are the most noteworthy. The main contribution of the study was the organization of information to support municipal decision-making in this sector.

RESUMOÉ necessário preparar as próximas gerações para os desafios ambientais atuais e vindouros e a educação ambiental parece ser a principal alternativa. Aqui apresenta-se um programa de educação ambiental com base nos conhecimentos de psicologia ambiental, em técnicas de Avaliação Pós-ocupação (APO) e na teoria das habilidades sociais (THS). O trabalho foi desenvolvido a partir da conciliação entre pesquisa e extensão, iniciado em 2013 e em fase atual de conclusão. A proposta do projeto foi operacionalizada em 10 encontros com crianças que acontecem no espaço da escola com a mediação do professor(a). É possível concluir que as técnicas de APO e habilidades sociais podem ser usadas como estratégia para entender o ambiente físico e social com crianças. ABSTRACTIt is necessary to prepare the next generations for the actual and coming environmental challenges and then environmental education seems to be the main alternative.. It is here presented an environmental education program based in knowledges as environmental psychology, post-occupancy evaluation and the social skills theory. The work was developed from extension and scientific initiation researches which began in 2013 and are currently in conclusion. The proposal of the project was made operational in 10 encounters with children that happen at school with teacher's mediation. It is possible to conclude that the post-occupancy evaluation techniques and the social skills can be used as a strategy to understand the physical and social environment with children.