HOUSEHOLD SOLID URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL: CASE STUDY IN THE CITY OF JUAZEIRO DO NORTE – CE, IN THE NORTHEAST OF BRAZIL (original) (raw)

The high levels of consumption of goods in today's society have been responsible for the large quantities of urban solid waste generated, impacting environmental quality. The present study aimed to assess the habits of urban household solid waste management and disposal in the city of Juazeiro do Norte, State of Ceará, in the Northeast of Brazil. For this purpose, 53 households distributed in 6 socioeconomic strata (A, B1, B2, C1, C2, D) were interviewed, according to the classification of ABEP-Brazilian Association of Research Companies (ABEP, 2012). The data collected express the perception of respondents regarding the waste generated. The most significant results follow: greater generation of organics (47.17%) obtained from the sum of food scraps and garden waste, followed by plastics (24.53%), paper (24.53%) and diapers/sanitary items (3.77%). In higher socioeconomic status neighborhoods most respondents used conventional waste management to discard food waste (scraps); concerning paper waste, regardless of the socioeconomic stratum, all respondents used the conventional municipal household solid urban waste management to discard these items; 100% of the plastic waste generated was disposed through conventional waste management by respondents living in neighborhoods from strata A, B1 and D. Regarding the disposal of health materials, there were lower prevalence rates of use of conventional waste management in higher socioeconomic status households (strata A and B1): 33.33% and 20%, respectively; regarding the disposal of batteries, respondents from socioeconomic stratum B1 reported discarding such items at municipal waste collection facilities (40%), followed by disposal in neighborhood waste collection facilities, for respondents in stratum C1 (7.69%). However, most respondents still use conventional waste management to discard batteries. Thus, it is necessary to invest in campaigns to encourage awareness and knowledge of appropriate household urban waste sorting and management among users of all socioeconomic strata.  Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the ECOMONDO