INTEGRAL WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR A SUSTAINABLE CITY: THE CASE OF THE PROPOSAL FOR CONSTRUCTION WASTE OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF ALAJUELA, COSTA RICA

Authors

  • Nidia Cruz Zúñiga Escuela de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Costa Rica

Keywords:

Demolition, Waste processing, Recycling, Construction waste, Waste recovery

Abstract

The dynamics of urban growth in Latin American cities makes it difficult to have adequate systems for waste management, particularly those that have some characteristic that makes them special, such as construction and demolition waste (RESCOND). These, by not receiving optimal treatment, generate serious impacts on the environment and are sources of contamination that affect public health. After analyzing the work with this type of waste in three Latin American cities (Santiago, Chile; Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Alajuela, Costa Rica) and comparing their practices, it was possible to establish general guidelines on comprehensive waste management in the sector and apply them to an estimation model to create a solution proposal for the Municipality of Alajuela; with a view to making this city more sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible. The methodology used contemplated interviews with key actors, the observation of specific cases and the bibliographic review. Among the main findings found, the importance of working together among all those involved and taking advantage of opportunity niches for the reuse of waste, both to generate new products (in this case aggregates for construction), and for the restoration of sites stand out. altered by mining processes. The relevance of documenting the lessons learned and evaluating the applicability to other cities was evidenced.

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Published

2022-09-10 — Updated on 2022-11-11

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