Application of an environmental management tool of the quality of urban solid waste landfills

Abstract

Population growth, greater purchasing power and new consumption habits have caused a significant growth in the amount of solid waste, which highlights a growing concern with the disposal of these residues. Approximately 65% of Brazilian municipalities make use of the units of inadequate waste disposal, directing them to dumps and controlled landfills. Currently, sanitary landfills are an adequate alternative for the final destination of solid urban residues, but the stages of its  implementation and operation should be well planned and executed, making the method efficient. The present study addresses the Index of the Quality of Solid Landfills - IQL in the sanitary landfills of Palmas-TO in order to conduct a comparative study of the two indices, and to verify the current situation of the final disposal of solid urban residues in the municipality. The methodology utilized drew on the application of spreadsheets on which were comprised the index method, thus allowing the classification of the quality of the landfills following a score that can fit them into adequate, controlled or inadequate patterns. The data were obtained through an interview with “in loco”, questionnaire to the  technician responsible for the development of sanitary landfills and also the consultation of the documents and studies that are about the sanitary landfills. As a result, it was found that the site is largely favorable situation, but that requires care and investments to ensure improvement in the final disposal system used, classifying it under controlled conditions.