Avaliação do ciclo de vida como técnica de apoio à decisão no gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos urbanos no município de Garibaldi/RS

Abstract

From the National Solid Waste Policy, enacted in 2010, Brazilian cities have been forced to rethink the urban cleaning and waste management. This accountability and the complexity of actions imposed by law led to the search for alternatives to the correct treatment and final dis-posal of municipal solid waste (MSW). One of the main difficulties of managers and users is deciding between the different technological options. In this context, the Life Cycle Assess-ment (LCA) is presented as an efficient technique to evaluate the MSW management systems, serving as support for decision making of the best model to be adopted. This study aimed to analyze scenarios for the MSW management through the LCA technique, considering the en-vironmental and economic aspects, in order to obtain results that serve as support for decision making on the model to be adopted in the waste management system of Garibaldi, RS. For that, we simulated scenarios integrating technical process for which the Life Cycle Inventory was developed using the IWM-2 software. For the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), indicators and categories of environmental impact were used. In the economic aspect, data from the current situation of the municipality management and technical reference infor-mation were used to calculate the costs. The study identified the potential environmental im-pact at every stage and assessed at every stage of the waste lifecycle. The scenarios with asso-ciated technologies presented the best environmental performance. Recycling was presented as the predominant practice to reduce environmental impacts. Steps of separation and selec-tive collection are fundamental to the efficiency of the treatment processes. The cost analysis revealed the need for investment for the implementation of any model that includes waste treatment systems, however, these investments ever reflect environmental gain. In conclusion, LCA facilitates comparison of different technological routes, enabling managers and users to decide which are the technologies with lower environmental burdens for the public service of MSW management. Finally, the study provides that further research can be conducted in order to find solutions to similar situations in other municipalities.