Análise de sistemas de valorização de resíduos via compostagem e reciclagem e sua aplicabilidade nos municípios mineiros de pequeno porte: o caso de Minas Gerais

Abstract

The origin of this dissertation is the authors unrest relatively to the unexpressive results of public policies towards solid wastes issues in small cities of Minas Gerais. The Program known as Minas Joga Limpo, implanted by the State Government about ten years ago, wasthe starting-point. It is questioned, overall, the indication of the recycling and composting units (known as URC) as the main alternative for these cities, showing that, in their majority, the small municipalities are not prepared to implant and to keep than in operation. It is recognized the importance of physical characterization and solid wastes mass balancestudies, althought in the case of Minas Joga Limpo the procedures upon which they are based are arguable, mainly solid wastes and composting production evaluations. It is resumed the concept of solid wastes valuation, presenting, in consequence, a practical criteria to evaluate small cities capacity to make it real. The size, the instruction degree and the income level of the population are the studied variables, which translate, respectively, the scale of solid wastes production, the possibility of users collaboration in previous household selection aiming at the separate collection, and the availability of city halls economy inrelation to implanting and maintaining composting units. As indicators are used, beyond population, education and income level components of Human Development Index - IDH. The results seem to indicate that the composting and recycling system is not advisable for most part of the small cities in Minas Gerais. According to the proposed criteria, only 5% of those cities have chances to implant them, in opposition to the settings of Minas Joga Limpo. This is the demonstration that the majority of localities involved in that Program could be benefited in other way, maybe with better collecting and landfilling systems.