Cenário atual dos lixões no Brasil: desafios e perspectivas

Abstract

The dump can be defined as the local of disposal of residue directly on to the ground, becoming a major generator of pollution and environmental contamination. The leachate resulting from the leaching process can infiltrate the soil and reach the water table, compromising water quality, causing significant environmental damage and compromising people's health and quality of life. In 2010, the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) was established, being the first law to directly address the management of solid residue. Among its guidelines, there was the definition of a deadline for the closure of all active dumps in Brazil, in which after an extension of the deadlines, it was defined that all these structures should be closed by August 2, 2024. Thus, the objective of this work is to analyze the current scenario of landfills in Brazil and the challenges associated with the closure of these structures. As this is a topic with recently released data, the methodology adopted was based on research on official government sources and websites and on information made available by companies specialized in residue management. Furthermore, to contextualize and explain the concepts, doctoral and master's theses, published articles and books were used. From the data analyzed, it is possible to conclude that the deadline defined by the PNRS was not fully met. According to IBGE, 36.6% of the cities that have final waste disposal still use landfills for this purpose. It was also observed that municipalities with up to 10 thousand inhabitants are those with the most active dumps, which is largely due to the high cost of implementing and operating a landfill. As an alternative, the federal government offers financial incentives to municipalities that have an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, in addition to encouraging the creation of intermunicipal consortia, which reduces costs and enables environmentally appropriate disposal. Despite these initiatives, the closure of dumps in Brazil still faces significant challenges, such as the lack of adequate infrastructure, budgetary limitations and difficulties in monitoring and applying environmental regulations. In this context, future perspectives involve expanding public policies aimed at waste management, strengthening environmental education to raise public awareness and increasing investments in infrastructure and sustainable technologies. Only with an integrated and continuous approach will it be possible to overcome these challenges and guarantee a more efficient and environmentally responsible final disposal of waste.