Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains

Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary of the Environment, at a panel during Rio Nature and Climate Week Publicity photo According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still-edible food. Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary of the Environment, at a panel during Rio Nature and Climate Week Publicity photo - We work on three main pillars of sustainable management: prevention, valuation, and mitigation of greenhouse gases - he emphasized. - But Rio de Janeiro has a significant advantage. It is one of the few Brazilian cities with a structured Climate Action Plan. There is coordination within the city government aimed at aligning the challenges of the public sector, private initiative, and the market. Another case mentioned by the panel moderator, journalist André Trigueiro, was Florianópolis. There, the goal is that by 2030, 90% of all the municipality's organic waste will receive an "intelligent" destination, meaning it will no longer be sent to landfills. To achieve this, measures such as free courses, including vermicomposting (a process using worms to decompose organic waste), are offered to the population. - When there is commitment from the city government and societal involvement, the equation works. But we also have numerous examples of cities starting composting projects and later failing to maintain them properly - Maluf noted. - Often, they attempt to implement massive projects with great operational complexity, when they could adopt smaller, decentralized solutions, as occurred in Florianópolis. According to a 2025 MMA study, the circular economy—linked to sustainable practices, including recycling—could generate up to 7 million jobs in Brazil by 2030. Globally, a Boston Consulting Group study indicates that R$1.2 trillion is wasted annually due to improper material disposal. This potential requires, beyond public policies, awareness. - This involves formal education, schools, and also the media, which plays a fundamental role in promoting good practices. There's also another issue. Some economic sectors focus solely on profit, not necessarily on environmental benefits - Ornelas said. - We need to create tools that bridge the gap between sustainability and predominant economic models. Looking to the future, Maluf expresses moderate optimism while also issuing calls for action. - Until society understands that this is a priority issue, not just environmentally but also for public health, we will continue progressing below what's necessary - he emphasized. - We're talking about a great economic opportunity linked to the green and circular economy. To me, it's a typical win-win scenario. The challenge now is to scale the experiences that are already working.