The National Solid Waste Policy (Federal Law No. 12.305/2010) established that “[...] civil construction companies [...] and industrial waste generators are responsible for their management, from its generation to the its final disposition”. Since the indiscriminate accumulation of waste can pose serious risks to the environment, such as contamination of soils, groundwater, eutrophication of water bodies, erosion processes, among other impacts. It can also favor the attraction and proliferation of disease vectors (insects, rodents and pigeons), in addition to venomous animals (spiders, snakes and rodents), which offer the risk of transmitting diseases and accidents with employees. Thus, Sendi Engenharia prepares the Solid Waste Management Plan specific for each work in progress and also at its headquarters in Bauru.
Waste management is nothing more than a set of planning, implementation and management procedures to reduce the generation of waste and provides collection, storage, treatment, transport and adequate final destination for each type of waste. All Sendi works have a specific Solid Waste Management Program, as each location has its own specific transport and destination, in addition to involving different companies during the management and treatment of this waste until its final disposal. The service fronts have small collectors that undergo daily collections or whenever necessary, so we can keep the service fronts clean and organized. Subsequently, these residues are sent to the bays of each residue disposed at the Site's Waste Center. The Waste Center with bays for each type of waste provides a monthly accumulation for subsequent disposal after generating an economically viable volume for disposal. It is at the Waste Center that we characterize the waste generated and segregate it by type, always thinking about the possibility of reuse in the work and if it is not possible to dispose of it for recycling.
In Sendi's works, we always seek to establish partnerships with recycling cooperatives or companies licensed for the disposal of recyclable waste. Recyclables are an important source of materials and inputs that can return to the production process, generating an economic gain for the whole society in general. Besides being a very important source of income for many Brazilians today. With these partnerships, we were able to achieve a large percentage of the reuse and recycling of waste generated by Sendi in its works. Waste such as plastic, paper and metal scrap is sent for recycling. Wood residues are donated to individuals or legal entities for reuse of the material, generally as energy biomass for burning ovens or boilers or even for use in rural properties for the maintenance of chicken coops, fences, etc. Waste oil used is sent to a licensed company that carries out the re-refining. Below we can see some indicators achieved in some works of waste directed to recycling or reuse of material.
SE TERMINAL RIO (2017 - 2019)
SE GOV 6 (2019 - 2020)
SE MUTUM (2019 – 2020)
The amount and proportion of waste that is sent for reuse or recycling varies a lot according to the region where the work is carried out. Some more developed regions have greater availability of technologies for recycling waste and others more difficult. This size also influences the size of the work itself, so a larger work consequently generates a greater volume of waste. The convergence of these factors that will define the proportion and volume of waste that can be reused or recycled.
We must also mention the list of hazardous waste that we generate during the implementation of our works. For this type of waste, there are several special precautions starting with the service fronts that have a mitigation kit nearby. In this way, any eventual contamination of the soil and water with oils and greases from the equipment is collected immediately. After mitigating the contaminated site, all the waste generated is sent to the Hazardous Waste Bay. This bay has a watertight floor, waterproofing the internal walls forming a kind of containment basin and SAO Box (Water and Oil Separator) for any internal leaks. In the bay, the residues are stored inside metal drums with a lid and seal, thus achieving a safer road transport to the final recipient who does the treatment and issues a certificate of final destination.
All employees undergo instructions and training on how to deal with waste in their professional and personal day-to-day activities during admission and integration training. The SMS team at the construction site also undergoes training and instructions on how to carry out the sorting, reuse, storage and disposal of the waste generated. All destinations must have an MTR (Waste Transport Manifest) ensuring traceability during the external transport of waste to its final destination. The indicators are used monthly for the preparation of monthly reports and passed on to our customers to use as a source of information to attach to the environmental licensing processes with the relevant agencies.
It is an environmental crime to cause pollution or damage to human health, fauna and flora with a penalty of imprisonment for one to five years if “it occurs due to the release of solid, liquid or gaseous waste, or debris, oils or oily substances, in disagreement with the requirements established in laws or regulations ”(art. 57, V, Law nº 12.305 / 2010), in addition to other civil and administrative penalties. Anyone who “manipulates, stores, stores, collects, transports, reuses, recycles or disposes of hazardous waste in a different way from that established by law or regulation” is subject to a sentence of one to four years of imprisonment (art. 54, II, Law No. 12,305 / 2010). Therefore, a company that does not correctly manage the waste generated may suffer from legal penalties and also have its image tarnished before society. A company that is bound by care and respect for the environment must never underestimate the economic and social importance that waste management brings.
by Vitor Bonassi
Environmental Engineer at Sendi