Waste Recycling Public Polities: a comparative study of San Francisco, USA and São Paulo, Brazil

Solid waste volumes have grown more than population. In 2012, 1.3 billion tons of urban solid waste was produced, corresponding to a per capita average of 1.2 kg. Appropriate waste management regards sanitation and... [ view full abstract ]

Solid waste volumes have grown more than population. In 2012, 1.3 billion tons of urban solid waste was produced, corresponding to a per capita average of 1.2 kg. Appropriate waste management regards sanitation and sustainability, as key factors for urban health.
This research aims to compare waste recycling public polities of San Francisco and São Paulo, in the last 10 years, in order to evaluate their sustainability in economic, social and environmental terms.
Methods: Literature search in Web of Science, Scopus; data collection; field observation and interview of public agents responsible for recycling programs in the two cities.
Preliminary Results:
The city of San Francisco had 805,235 inhabitants in 2011; waste generation of 1,992,287 tons in 2010; waste is segregated in 100% of homes; collection, sorting, recycling and final destination are done by private enterprises; there is a mechanized process for sorting solid waste in plants; 85% of the urban solid waste is recycled; the goal is to have zero waste going to landfills by 2020.
The municipality of São Paulo had 11,253,503 inhabitants in 2011; waste generation of 3,500,000 tons in 2011; waste is segregated only in 46% of households; collection, sorting and sales are done either by private enterprises or by 22 scavengers’ associations that work in partnership with local government and receive financial help and lot from local government; there are only 2 triage plants; only 1.6% of solid waste is recycled by the official program; goal is to recycle 10% by 2016. Unofficial records estimate 20% of waste recycled through informal scavengers.
Conclusions: The cities are very diverse regarding size and waste generation. Even though lower per capita waste production, and social inclusion of 1,100 scavengers are strong points for achieving urban health, much of San Francisco experience in recycling could be appropriated in São Paulo.