Residual People and People's Waste

This book analyzes the market development of solid urban waste in the Federal District (DF). The integration of the social actors involved, support for the formation of cooperatives and associations of waste pickers, known as "residual people," and incentives for the implementation of selective collection systems for municipal solid waste (MSW) are initiatives to structure and organize this chain. The omission of public authorities and the lack of adequate public policies in the legal-administrative, political-institutional, and economic-financial spheres delay an optimal management model. The research also points to some actions that the government can take to reduce the impact of unemployment, generate income, and control the amount of waste generated and disposed of improperly in landfills, dumps, and clandestine areas in the Federal District. Investments in appropriate technologies, in addition to promoting the waste "business," provide, in most cases, considerable cost savings. The disposal and reuse of waste complies with the "3 Rs" principle-reduce, recycle, and reuse-minimizing environmental liabilities and improving the population's quality of life.