Social Actors, Circular Economy and Urban Solid Waste Management in the Federal District
Solid waste is currently one of humanity's most obvious problems, especially in the context of large urban centers, involving economic, social and environmental issues. Large volumes are produced every day, driven by the new times of exacerbated consumption, the origin of which is based on the linear economic model. In this scenario, the Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as an interesting and viable alternative. Through its principles, it is possible to increase public awareness; optimize consumption; encourage reduction, reuse, repair and recycling; develop innovative products; generate value in production chains and reduce environmental impacts. This is the context in which this thesis was written. Its aim was to analyze whether CE can improve the urban solid waste management system in the Federal District (FD) based on the perception of social actors. The work began with the formation of a theoretical basis and revealed that the current linear system drives the formation of solid waste by the way it works: extract, produce, distribute, consume and dispose. In contrast, the CE emerges that seeks to stimulate reduction, reuse, repair and recycling, in other words, it follows the opposite path. As for methodological aspects, a search was initially carried out on the scientific databases Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) and the results were processed using R Language, along with the Bibliometrix and Shiny packages. Quantitative and qualitative research was also carried out on laws 12.305/2010 and 5.418/2014, comparing their articles with the principles of CE. To do this, NVivo 11 software and a correspondence matrix were used. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with social actors divided into three categories: public authorities, the business sector and civil society. The questions were based on three aspects (challenges, opportunities and strategies) of the current waste management model and the application of CE principles in its operating structure. Finally, a circular theoretical model of solid waste management was proposed for the FD, inspired by Elinor Ostrom's IAD Framework. The analysis showed that it is possible to adapt the proposal presented in this thesis to the context of the Federal District, based on the information collected from social actors and the urgency that society has in relation to new approaches to solid waste. In order to do this, it would be necessary to get these social actors strongly involved so as to encourage the adoption of circular principles through cooperation around common goals.