Condominium waste management by private initiative: a report of a 10-year project in Brazil

Abstract

The evolution of domestic waste management practices in an urban residential condominium complex in Brazil is reported. A sustained effort over 10 years has created a benchmark for landfill diversion by private initiative. The project was initiated in 1998 when the prevailing practice was to tip all waste at the landfill. In the presently attained situation, which is available for imitation elsewhere, 67% of all domestic waste produced in the complex is recycled without cost to the municipal administration. Instead of separating the inert recyclables, the effort was turned to separating the biodegradable material. The management programme derived from waste analyses and the work with people evolved into a two-stage source-separation procedure combined with the participation of handpicked reverse logistics operators. City crews now take only 33% of all waste to the landfill. Although this description is strictly valid only for Brazil, the story in itself might be of wider interest.