Every Brazilian citizen has the right to basic sanitation, including waste management, but not everyone has access to the service, or when they do, it is ineffective and causes negative socio-environmental impact. Therefore, to ensure these rights, it is essential to understand the difference between a landfill, a controlled landfill, a sanitary landfill, and an ecopark.
Landfill
Surely, at some point in your life, you have seen an image like this:
This is a landfill, a place where urban and/or industrial waste is dumped without any preparation or care for the environment.
In Brazil, 39% of the waste collected in 2022 was directed to open landfills, according to data from ABREMA – Brazilian Association of Waste and Environment. Despite all efforts to eradicate landfills and ensure the effective and definitive transition to a proper waste disposal policy by 2024, the Sanitation Legal Framework, represented by Law 14.026/2020, turned four years old last July, and about 2,100 landfills are still active.
The impacts of a landfill are numerous, including:
- Soil and groundwater contamination by leachate – a dark liquid with high pollution load resulting from the decomposition of organic matter.
- Attraction of venomous animals and disease vectors dangerous to humans.
- Emission of greenhouse gases produced in the decomposition of waste.
- Impact on the quality of life of people living in the area.
- Informal and precarious work of waste pickers.
- Waste of materials that could be reintegrated into the production chain, leading to financial losses.
Controlled Landfills
Controlled landfills are similar to landfills, but they have a soil cover to prevent the waste from being exposed.
Although this technique prevents animals from approaching and minimizes the impact on the quality of life of the local population, it still does not address the problem of leachate treatment, nor the emission of greenhouse gases.
Sanitary Landfills
Sanitary landfills are engineering projects specifically designed to receive waste that cannot be recycled. They are prepared with soil impermeabilization, leachate capture for treatment, and the capture of greenhouse gases, such as methane, for combustion.
Although not the most complete and effective method for waste treatment, sanitary landfills are becoming more common due to their ability to minimize negative impacts.
The advantages of sanitary landfills are:
- Soil impermeabilization, which prevents soil and groundwater contamination.
- Leachate capture and treatment.
- Methane gas capture for combustion.
- Prevention of venomous animals and disease vectors, improving the quality of life of the local population and workers.
Ecoparks
Considered the evolution of sanitary landfills, Ecoparks explore the full potential of waste, driving the circular economy and preserving the environment.
The main difference between an ecopark and a regular sanitary landfill is the understanding that waste is not material to be discarded and isolated, but rather a rich raw material to be reintroduced into the production chain.
In an ecopark like that of Orizon, solutions based on circular economy can be found, where every material has a reuse destination. When urban waste arrives at an ecopark, it undergoes the following steps:
- 1. Sorting of more than 20 types of materials, ensuring a continuous supply and traceability of the origin of the recycled materials at UTM – Mechanized Sorting Unit.
- 2. The recyclables are sorted by categories and sent for reuse in industries.
- 3. The organic material is sent for composting. The production occurs through the treatment of organic waste that undergoes decomposition by bacteria. The result of this process is a fertilizer rich in nutrients and free from contaminants.
- 4. Non-recyclable materials, but with high calorific value, are sold to industries as CDR – Waste Derived Fuel. CDR is a renewable green alternative to fossil and mineral energy sources, such as natural gas and coal in large industrial boilers and furnaces. Cement plants, for example, use CDR extensively in their energy transition projects.
- 5. The remaining waste is sent to the landfill with special pipelines for the collection and treatment of leachate, as well as the destination of gases for the production of biogas and biomethane.
The environmentally correct separation and treatment of the waste processed at the ecopark, in addition to recovering materials that can be reintroduced into the production chain and generating new products such as fertilizer, biogas, and biomethane, also increases the lifespan of the landfill.
Finally, Orizon’s Ecoparks employ qualified professionals to work across the entire infrastructure. The recycling units create a significant socioeconomic impact in the regions where we operate, generating jobs, income, and professional development, even for former waste pickers, as well as generating revenue and taxes for municipalities. In Jaboatão alone, we have 200 people hired.
The installation of ecoparks for the treatment of waste from households or industries is of utmost importance to provide sustainability in the sector and also foster the economy.
