ASSESSMENT OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT OF UNDIFFERENTIATED COLLECTION IN THE SÃO PAULO CITY

Abstract

Urban solid waste is considered one of the major environmental problems nowadays, with the potential to negatively impact the life and health of the population. Besides the direct impacts resulting from inadequate waste management, the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) also must be considered. Thus, this study aimed to assess the GHG emissions resulting from the management of household solid waste from undifferentiated collection between the years 2010 to 2015 in the municipality of São Paulo. The emissions presented in the inventories and reports of São Paulo city were used to calculate the GHG emissions resulting from the domestic waste undifferentiated collected in the stages of collection, transportation and final disposal in landfills. GHG emissions were also estimated in hypothetical scenarios considering some of the guidelines contained in the municipality's integrated solid waste management plan. The calculated GHG emissions from the collection and transport stage in the years 2010 to 2015 were 37 GgCO2-eq. Those resulting from the final disposal were 3,200 GgCO2-eq. It was also verified that if, since 2010, the organic matter of the household waste had not been grounded, being sent for biological treatment, there would have been a significant reduction in the emission of GHG, above 2,000 GgCO2-eq. The diagnosis of GHG emissions resulting from solid waste management is a tool that can contribute to minimize the impacts related to the effects of GHG on climate change, providing improvements in public health, saving resources and the environment.