Municipal solid waste treatment in Brazil: A comprehensive review

Sustainability Indicators Model Applied to Waste Management in Brazil Using the DPSIR Framework

“…Other important subjects, such as recycling, technology, public health and environment, emissions, and energy recovery, contained a residual number of goals, targets, and obligations, indicating that these areas have been less important in the waste legislation. This finding confirms previous studies in this field [22]. Additionally, the qualitative analysis revealed that waste plan requirements extend to national, regional, and local governments, as well as private companies.…”

“…This finding clearly indicates the problems associated with MSW in Brazil reported in the Introduction. Although the Brazilian legal framework for MSW is similar to that of developed countries [22], local governments face several challenges in meeting the requirements proposed by the PRNS due to financial diffi-culties in investing in modern infrastructure and equipment to cope with the continuously increasing MSW, resulting in a still high waste deposition in improper locations [28]. This explains why most of the targets and goals were addressed to MSW.…”

“…The Brazilian territory comprises 5570 municipalities, 27 federation units, and five macro-regions [20]. Recent data shows that the collected municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Brazil is about 76 million tons, positioning the country as the fourth-largest generator of waste [21,22]. Of this MSW, around 2% is recycled, and about 40% is sent to improper locations, including open dumps, a practice that has been a source of health and environmental problems [22,23].…”

“…Recent data shows that the collected municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Brazil is about 76 million tons, positioning the country as the fourth-largest generator of waste [21,22]. Of this MSW, around 2% is recycled, and about 40% is sent to improper locations, including open dumps, a practice that has been a source of health and environmental problems [22,23]. Estimates from the period 2016 to 2021 suggest that the health problems associated with the waste deposition in these inadequate locations cost 1.8 billion USD.…”

“…Much of the waste management literature in Brazil is focused on MSW, reflecting the substantial challenges faced by municipalities in meeting the requirements outlined in the PNRS of 2010. For example, Rebehy et al [26] studied the variables that influence the recovery of solid waste and best practices of efficient municipalities in Brazil; Paes et al [25] focused on the main enablers of innovations in solid waste management in four municipalities and the respective actions between circular economy and climate change; Silva et al [27] investigated the potential of utilizing MSW as refuse-derived fuel and the respective energy and greenhouse gas emissions impacts in Brasília; Jucá et al [28] assessed the management of MSW in Recife through sustainability indicators across social, environmental, economic, and institutional dimensions; Fuss et al [29] analyzed the development of a framework to evaluate MSW in Belo Horizonte, integrating economic, environmental, and social dimensions; Miranda et al [30] studied the integration of recycling cooperatives in a medium-sized municipality (Londrina), aiming to assess their contributions within a circular economy structure and identify benchmarking options for similar cooperatives; and Alfaia et al [17] and Lino et al [22] carried out comprehensive reviews of MSW in Brazil. Other topics less explored in the literature include the management of specific types of waste, such as e-waste [31,32] and construction and demolition waste [33], waste characterization in Brazil [34], the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste generation in the country [35], public perceptions, residents' awareness and attitudes toward waste management practices in specific Brazilian cities [36], and bibliometric studies on the impact of PNRS on Brazilian scientific production [37].…”