The Impact of Recycling on the calorific value of Urban Solid Waste in the city of São Paulo and on the work of recyclable material collectors Clauber Barão Leite

Abstract

Gravimetric composition of municipal solid waste in Brazil has its own peculiarities, while the national average shows numbers of 51.4% organic, 31.9% dry and 16.7% rejects, cities like Sao Paulo has a dry composition of 55% organic, 28% dry and 17% of rejects. Two factors are crucial to define what are the treatment options for municipal solid waste in a city, its quantity and the gravimetric composition. Some technologies used around the world are now being offered to Brazil as an alternative. Among them is the mass burning incineration type, which according to the World Bank, 1999, has among its factors feasibility minimum annual capacity of 50,000 metric tons and the minimum 6MJ / kg calorific value. In this paper we evaluated the amount of waste generated in the city of São Paulo and its gravimetric composition, in order to assess the technical feasibility of implementing certain technologies, particularly incineration in Brazil.