Cenários e contextos: análise da gestão de resíduos sólidos em municípios do Semiárido Nordestino - desafios e perspectivas

Abstract

Concerns and scholarly debates regarding alternatives for solid waste management have intensified in recent years, driven by the exponential increase in waste generation and the unsustainable consumption patterns of contemporary society. Within this context, the SemiArid Region of Northeastern Brazil presents distinctive challenges, necessitating the implementation of robust public policies to equitably address and adapt to prevailing adversities, particularly with regard to the effective consolidation of the National Solid Waste Policy. This study aims to critically analyze solid waste management in three municipalities within this region (Caraúbas/RN, Itapiúna/CE, and Alagoa Nova/PB), focusing on the diagnosis of municipal management practices, the characterization of final disposal models, and the identification and assessment of socio-environmental impacts arising from the prevailing waste management framework. Adopting a multi-methodological approach, the research integrates both qualitative and quantitative dimensions, employing structured surveys with municipal administrators, field research, and spatial mapping to evaluate the environmental repercussions of final disposal sites. Furthermore, the study draws upon the PDCA cycle as a strategic tool for structuring planning and management proposals tailored to each municipality. The findings underscore the critical deficiencies in waste management within the surveyed municipalities, which exhibit suboptimal administrative frameworks, insufficient infrastructure in terms of human and material resources, a deficient regulatory landscape, and a marked absence of technical-political initiatives aimed at establishing an integrated waste management model. These structural weaknesses collectively reflect a systemic incapacity—spanning technical, institutional, political, and financial dimensions—to ensure the effective planning and administration of solid waste. The identified socioenvironmental impacts, which stem from inadequate final disposal practices such as open dumping, manifest across physical, biotic, and anthropic environments, further exacerbating the region’s environmental and public health challenges. In light of these findings, it is imperative that municipal authorities adopt structured and evidence-based management tools, as delineated in this research through the application of the PDCA cycle. This framework encompasses a comprehensive set of measures designed to enhance waste governance, mitigate adverse socio-environmental externalities, ensure regulatory compliance, and foster a transition toward a more sustainable, resilient, and integrated municipal solid waste management system.