EVALUATION OF THE URBAN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OF THE COOPERATIVE COOCAMARJI IN JI-PARANÁ, RO, BRAZIL

Resumo

The article presents the results of the evaluation of the management process of urban solid waste recycling in course by a cooperative in the municipality of Ji-Paraná, state of Rondonia, Brazil. Three evaluation methods were used: a semi-structured interview focusing the analysis of a profile of the recyclable waste collectors; identification and quantification of urban solid waste and the elaboration of a spreadsheet for comparing local policy and the national guidelines for urban solid waste collection. Despite the fact that the municipality of Ji-Paraná does not practice the selective collection of urban solid waste it was found that the cooperative processes only 54,11% of all produced waste in which the most recyclable material is iron, followed by plastic bottles and cardboard although those are the less negotiable materials carried out by the cooperative. Workers at the cooperative are mostly man whose salaries are more expressive, between one and two minimum wages, and that only 5% earn more than three minimum wages. For more than 81% of the cooperated the total working day amounts from nine to twelve hours basically related to selecting waste material to be recycled. It is concluded that the integrated evaluation method applied to this case has allowed a better and comprehensive view over the process of managing urban solid waste at Ji-Paraná. The most acute problem is seen to be the lower wages associated to a long working day journey, as well as a fragile system of commercializing products by the cooperative.

 Keywords: Environmental science, environmental impact, urban solid waste.