Experience gained with waste management activities in Brazilian grade schools.

With the advent of the United Nations Millennium Goals of 2000 and the World Summit on Sustainable Development of 2002, targets and time frames for the advance of basic sanitation came into being. The official pretension passed down to local governments was to reduce by half, until 2015, the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation. Very soon, the dilemma of interpretation became apparent. Dumping sewage into the river and tipping garbage at an open dumpsite would satisfy the directives? Worldwide intellectual movements such as the Zero Waste International Alliance and the International Organization of Biotechnology and Bioengineering have since advanced much further in the quest for sustainable waste management. Bulk landfilling is no longer considered a solution to the solid waste problem. In this line of reasoning, this research team has worked on proactive management models for Brazilian cities. Studies of waste composition identified the bottleneck of urban waste management in Brazil as being the biodegradable portion, which represents approximately 70% by weight of the total waste stream. In order to provide data and recommendations to municipal administrations, specific small scale experiments were carried out in test communities that ranged from apartment buildings and street blocks to grade schools. With the target of above 60% landfill diversion, the model of divided waste processing was developed, advocated and implemented in the test communities. This paper reports on the experience gained from the work in grade schools, and evaluates the prospect of future success on a citywide scale. The main emphasis has been placed on the activity of producing compost from biodegradable waste right in the schools. As this activity required source separation, the immediate consequence was the appearance of good quality inert items that can be recycled easily through the existing reverse logistics chain. With guidance from the research team and a few interested teachers, waste management is now in the hands of the students who have responded well to the stimulation. For various reasons it has not yet been possible to honestly and permanently involve the school administrations and the teaching community with the model. The reasons for this passivity are discussed and ways and means are explored to overcome it. The basic idea behind the ongoing project is to slowly expand the universe of participating schools in order to make an impact on landfill diversion in the city and influence municipal waste management policies with the precedent created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]