Integração das organizações de catadores de materiais recicláveis ao sistema de logística reversa de resíduos de equipamentos eletroeletrônicos de uso doméstico

Abstract

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been increasing significantly in volume globally, being a prominent environmental problem. The WEEE reverse logistics system (RLS) allows the return of materials to the production cycle, but it is still being implemented in Brazil. Among other prerogatives, the RLS foresees the insertion of the Organizations of Recyclable Material Collectors (WPO) in the operationalization of the logistic chain, however, the WPO face several difficulties to carry out this integration. Furthermore, the social impact of this insertion has not yet been elucidated. Given the above, the objective of this research was to identify the barriers that hinder the insertion of WPO in the reverse logistics of WEEE, as well as to analyze the social impact of this insertion. The identification of barriers was carried out through a systematic review of the literature, while for the analysis of the environmental impact, the Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) tool developed by Ibanez Forez et al., (2019). The main barriers identified were lack of structure; lack of technical knowledge and training to handle WEEE; lack of compliance with legal requirements; lack of awareness among the population. The SLCA showed that the main categories with social impact were labor rights, working conditions, health and safety, and population participation. Finally, this study concludes that despite the dysfunctions that make it difficult for WPO to be included in the WEEE RLS, the social impacts are mostly positive, however, there are still many operational issues to be worked on, so that they can absorb these wastes and thus generate income and work for the waste pickers.