Evaluation of the treatment of municipal solid waste as renewable energy resource in Campinas, Brazil

Treatment and final destination of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Brazil has been a problem waiting for solution to alleviate environmental and public health negative impacts, since almost all MSW collected is dumped in landfills and open and covered dumps. Specifically in Campinas, a metropolis with more of one million inhabitants, the local landfill was closed since 2014 and since, the collected MSW is dumped in the landfill belonging to a neighbouring city. In an attempt to contribute to the solution of the problem, the authors elaborated two scenarios for waste treatment with energy recovery and social inclusion. The most recent characterization data of the municipality was used in assessing the two proposed scenarios of incineration and biodigestion and recycling of 20 percent of the available recyclables. The comparative results indicate that biodigestion and incineration can generate electricity enough for 1% and 39% of the residencies of Campinas, respectively. The commercialization recyclables corresponds to 1120 minimum national salaries, which is sufficient for sustaining the twelve cooperatives of waste pickers. From the comparative assessment, the authors believe that incineration and recycling can be a possible solution to minimize the problem of MSW in the city.