Sustainability Indicators for Evaluation of Selective Collection Programs: a case study in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

ABSTRACT

Sustainability indicators have been increasingly used in the evaluation and monitoring of selective waste collection programs, allowing the identification of gaps and the planning of promising strategies. In this sense, this study aimed to assess the degree of sustainability of the selective collection program in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, through the use of indicators. Evaluation was based on a matrix composed of 16 indicators grouped in political/institutional, economic, social, and environmental dimensions. For the quantification of the indicators, historical data from the selective collection of the years 2018 and 2019 were adopted. The application of the indicators resulted in a final score that allowed the classification of the degree of sustainability (DS) of the system. The results point to a GS of 4.6, indicating low sustainability of the selective collection program in the city of João Pessoa. Regarding the dimensions investigated, it appears that all of them presented low sustainability; however, the environmental dimension showed the best performance in the investigation (DS = 5.0), revealing that selective collection has stood out in this context. The findings from the use of indicators emphasize the need for planning and effective actions for the improvement and expansion of selective collection in the municipality.

Keywords:
solid waste; waste management; selective collect; indicators