Selective collection in Uberlândia (MG): sustainability indicators and guidelines for improvement

Abstract

This paper deals with the Uberlândia Selective Collection Program, in view of its characterization and evaluation, based on sustainability indicators, for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. In preparing this study, we used the matrix of sustainability indicators for selective collection by Fechine and Moraes (2015). A matrix of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analyzes was also developed. The data were obtained through publications in the Integrated Database of Uberlândia (BDI) and interviews with servers of the Municipal Department of Water and Sewage of Uberlândia (DMAE). The results show that the evaluated Program had a low degree of sustainability in the years 2015 and 2016. However, there was an improvement in 2017, when it reached a medium degree of sustainability. This was due to an increase in the average monthly income of waste pickers organized into a cooperative and association and, due to the increased frequency of education and publicity programs for the Program. On the other hand, it was found that the environmental dimension was classified as unsustainable in the three years evaluated. The main aspects that explain this assessment are the low annual mass per capita collected, low annual mass per capita recovered and the high rate of tailings. This study also presents guidelines for planning and managing the Program, with a view to better performance of sustainability indicators.