EGU22-6229
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6229
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Analysis of methodologies to evaluate the environmental impacts of solid waste management in the city of Bogotá

Ana Paola Becerra Quiroz1, Johanna Karina Solano Meza1, Javier Rodrigo Ilarri2, and María Elena Rodrigo Clavero2
Ana Paola Becerra Quiroz et al.
  • 1Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Santo Tomás, Bogotá D.C, Colombia
  • 2Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente (IIAMA). Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia, Spain

Solid waste management produced in megacities is usually being transformed under a linear treatment scheme which considers the circular economy model guidelines (waste reduction, reuse and recycling). The comprehensive solid waste management plan (PGIRS 2020) proposed for the city of Bogotá (Colombia) implements this circular economy approach through different strategies, such as increasing the separation levels at the source, optimizing collection and recycling, including waste as raw materials in production processes and designing technological alternatives different from landfills for the use and treatment of solid waste. Under this new vision, the design of waste management systems must consider those environmental impacts generated throughout the life cycle of waste while integrating ways to address these impacts in comprehensive waste management plans. Furthermore, health and environmental impacts that will result from new forms of waste use or mismanagement must be considered, including the mitigation of climate change effects by diverting waste that would potentially go to a landfill. Therefore, the methodologies adopted to evaluate environmental impacts must be aligned with these new trends while being capable of providing the required and appropriate results for decision-making to achieve established goals.

This work shows the methodologies used to evaluate the environmental impacts generated by solid waste in Bogotá. These methodologies have generally been qualitative so far: checklists, double-entry matrices, indicators and problem trees. They have been selected based on the availability of information, ease of calculation and the physical and technical availability of infrastructures. While different phases of solid waste management may require different methodologies, progress must be made in using more precise methods to reduce uncertainty in the evaluation and become more effective decision-making tools. One of these tools is the Life Cycle Analysis methodology (LCA). LCA provides an opportunity to make progress in including the circular economy approach in the comprehensive solid waste management of the city of Bogotá.

How to cite: Becerra Quiroz, A. P., Solano Meza, J. K., Rodrigo Ilarri, J., and Rodrigo Clavero, M. E.: Analysis of methodologies to evaluate the environmental impacts of solid waste management in the city of Bogotá, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-6229, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6229, 2022.

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