Resíduos sólidos urbanos: um estudo de caso da Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)

Abstract

In Brazil, the prevailing culture is still one of irregular and excessive disposal of solid waste, everything that is apparently useless is sent to landfills or landfills without concern for reuse. In this context, Public Administration, especially Federal Public Universities, play a crucial role as they promote teaching, research and extension while also occupying the position of a source that generates all types of waste. Within the scope of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), given its complexity and logistical extension, with physical structure in several municipalities, laboratories, hospitals and university restaurants, the question arises whether solid waste, generated on the Belém campus of UFPA, is managed in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, given that there is no central department for dealing with demands regarding solid waste produced internally, which compromises its institutional mission of being an environmentally sustainable university. The General Objective consists of analyzing the form of solid waste management on the Belém campus of UFPA and, to achieve this objective, the following complementary objectives were defined: analyze the principles and guidelines of the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS), articulated with the other environmental management and sanitation policies; identify the main obstacles to the implementation and execution of a solid waste management policy at UFPA; and, propose guidelines and legal regulations for the management of solid waste on the Belém campus of UFPA. The research adopts a qualitative approach, through semi-structured interviews, using bibliographic and documentary research, aiming to obtain data and information that offer a critical view on this topic. The results indicate that solid waste management is non-existent due to the absence of a specific department to deal with this topic. The product presented refers to the proposed change in the organizational structure of UFPA, with the creation of the Solid Waste Directorate, linked to the Dean of Administration, formed by three coordinators: laboratory and hazardous waste; urban solid waste; and actions, projects and plans. In parallel to this creation, it is also proposed to reactivate or recreate the Waste Management Commission (Cogere), created in 2005 and extinguished in 2008; and the preparation of the UFPA General Waste Management Plan (PGGR).