Public private partnerships in solid waste management – case study

Abstract

This paper analyzes two public notices for PPP (Public-Private Partnerships - Law 11.079/2004) for solid waste management and verifies the suitability of these contracts to the new guidelines of Law 12.305/2010 - National Solid Waste Policy - PNRS. The online versions of 2 public notices and draft PPP Contracts, recently signed in the city of São Carlos and the Metropolitan Area of Belo Horizonte and Colar Metropolitano were analyzed. The mapping of the performance indicators of these documents was carried out according to 4 criteria: (a) minimization of waste in landfills, (b) recovery and valorization of solid waste (recycling, composting, etc.); (c) pickers inclusion; and (d) social participation. The results indicate that the analyzed contracts meet only part of the guidelines set by PNRS, mainly the eradication of the dumps and the final disposal of waste in landfills. The main object of these contracts remains linked to the old paradigm of waste management: collection and transportation of waste and operation of landfills. To meet the waste minimization policies, there are financial incentives that reward the reduction in the final disposal in landfills. However, there are no fixed contractual targets for the minimization of waste at landfills. If waste minimization policies, like reverse logistics and responsibility shared are implemented by the government, the contracts have clauses allowing periodic reviews for gradual adjustments, ensuring the economic and financial balance of the contract. It is yet to determine the efficiency of these mechanisms to meet the guidelines of PNRS, in the curse of he concession.