Abstract

MARMOLEJO-REBELLON, Luis F.. Systemic analysis of municipal solid waste management facility sustainability in municipalities with populations below 20,000 inhabitants. Ing. compet. [online]. 2013, vol.15, n.2, pp.253-263. ISSN 0123-3033.

In Colombia, the National Policy of Integrated Waste Management recognizes waste utilization as the most desirable alternative for managing generated solid waste; in small municipalities' solid waste, its implementation has been taking place through Solid Waste Management Facilities-SWMFs. Studies carried out by governmental and academic institutions showed that although SWMFs generate environmental and social benefits, they present technological, economic, financial and institutional weaknesses, which put their sustainability in risk. In this paper, the Integrated Sustainable Waste Management approach is articulated with the System Dynamics Approach to consider and analyze the interrelationship among the key elements that influence SWMFs functioning and sustainability, based on information obtained through national dissemination events and assessments held in five SWMFs located northern Valle del Cauca. The systemic analysis led to identify six cycles or interrelationship groups. These were used to establish the bases for SWMFs sustainability, namely: economic resources, contextualized research and conceptual development, users' awareness, contextualized technological development business management and recovered material

Keywords : causal loop diagram; integrated sustainable waste management; solid waste management; systems dynamics approach.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )