Solid waste and the solution of local problems in peripheral districts: a case study of Valuable Trash Program in Umuarama - PR

Abstract

Solid waste has been interpreted as a socio-spatial problem due its environmental degradation potential and for its threat to public health. However, there is an alternative perception: waste as solution. When discarded materials are reused, they can be the answer to social, economic and environmental problems. Managing solid waste in a creative way and reinserting it into the cycle of production is a challenge. In the city of Umuarama-PR, the Valuable Trash Program has been developed to stimulate the separation between recyclable and organic garbage and to solve environmental and social problems in peripheral areas: Jabuticabeiras, Sete Alqueires, Industrial, Arco Íris, Viveiros and Alto da Glória neighborhoods. The objective of this paper is to analyze the program since it was created (2010-2018), considering different social agents involved and the strategies of the public administration in solving local issues. It was debated about waste as socio-spatial phenomenon: as a problem or as solution. It was raised data about the solid waste management. Semi-structured interviews were made to characterize the program, to collect opinions and to understand its weaknesses. The results show that the program achieves distinct fields (environment, food, employment and income) and distributes its benefits to different agents (inhabitants, farmers, waste pickers). Some weaknesses threaten its permanence: changes in local public administration and dependence on public resources.