SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS FOR A WASTE MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Rodrigues Bahia Sergio

Instituto Brasileiro de Administrao Municipal - IBAM

Largo IBAM N 1 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ
22271-070 Brasil

ABSTRACT

Solid waste management is one of the principal pollution problems in many urban areas of developing
countries, and its control has so far not been addressed in a sustainable analysis. In order to guide the
works of building urban sustainable societies focusing on sustainable waste management activities, the
construction of sustainability indicators turns into a useful mean, as indicators prove to be valuable by tools
in aiding local authorities in decision making, monitoring and judging specific policies.

In 1993, the University of Leeds initiated The Quantifiable City project , with the aim of developing a generic
meso-scale computer model of city processes focused on sustainable development objectives. Towards
this goal the Quantifiable City project identified sustainability indicators using the PICABUE method, which
is the one adopted by the present study. This method defines eight reference indicators in each principal
waste management phases. Reference indicators are then augmented, defining a total of 79 indicators.

The construction of sustainability indicators for a waste management approach with the aim to be applied in
developing countries must mainly consider social, managerial, technical and economic aspects.

Palabras clave: indicators, waste management, sutainability

INTRODUCTION

The most serious environmental problems in developing country cities are related to the lack of sanitation
systems. The current challenge of urban planners and politicians is to design and rehabilitate cities, in
general, into a sustainable basis, where the advantages of the cities could be maintained without causing
degradation of national and international environments.

In the specific area of waste management, it has been stated that a perfect sustainable society should not
generate waste exceeding its own capacity of mainly treating and disposing of it (Stren et al., 1992). In order
to guide the works of building urban sustainable societies focusing on sustainable waste management
activities, the construction of sustainability indicators for a waste management approach turns into an useful
tool for planning, as "indicators should be built into the strategy to demonstrate progress, or the lack of,
towards achieving the strategic objectives" (SWAP, 1995).

Working with the same method used by the University of Leeds project for the construction of indicators of
sustainable development (PICABUE), and also considering the generic scenario of waste management in
developing countries -and in particular the Brazilian scenario-, the present study encompasses the
Quantifiable City project indicators already developed on waste management issues and reveals additional
ones, appropriate for the reality of developing countries.

GENERAL CONCEPTS
The main structural concepts towards sustainability indicators are:

Sustainable development
"Development that improves the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting
ecosystems"('Caring for the Earth' - IUCN-WWF-UNEP, 1991). This definition consider development in
terms of its impact on peoples quality of life, and human impact on the wider ecological environment. It is
also worth reminding that to be sustainable, cities must not exceed the carrying capacity of their support
regions or hinterlands.

Principles of sustainable development

Futurity - Man should not run activities at present that can cause future environmental degradation, unless
the environmental resource compromised by those activities is replaced;
Equity - ...current generations should have greater equality in access to environmental capital and should
share the costs and benefits associated with human activity (e.g. pollution, health care) in a more equitable
manner" (Mitchell, 1995). Thus, if world's people do not have equal access to resources and environmental
services, this can lead to environmental degradation. The same reasoning can be applied on a local basis
analysis;
Public participation - It is an important aspect to be considered in new democratic government systems in
developing world, specially when they are still in the process of structuring their public work services;
Environment - The environment principle recognises the value of the wider ecosystem as a resource
worthy of conservation because people benefit from its use, and also because it has intrinsic value beyond
human resource use, which deserves safe guarding" (Mitchell, 1995).

Indicators
"Ideally, an index or an indicator is a means devised to reduce a large quantity of data down to its simplest
form, retaining essential meaning for the questions that are being asked of the data. In short, an index is
designed to simplify. In the process of simplification, of course, some information is lost. Hopefully, if the
index is designed properly, the lost information will not seriously distort the answer to the question" (Ott,
1978). The construction of sustainability indicators takes into account the response of a certain selected
issue throughout one of the principles of sustainable development.

WASTE AND URBAN CLEANSING SYSTEM

Solid waste is "any substance which constitutes a scrap material or an effluent, or other unwanted surplus
substance arising from the application of a process and any substance or article which requires to be
disposed of as being broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled" (Welford, 1993). The main
phases of the urban cleansing system are storage, collection and transportation, treatment and final
disposal. Each phase must be defined as a function of the characteristics of the waste generated, followed
by technical and financial criteria.

Generation - To know the characteristics of the waste means to know its quality (composition) and the
amount generated. The most appropriated way used to measure quantity is by weight, although the
measurement in volume is also important in landfill capacity studies. In a general way, areas which
concentrate more wealth tend to generate more waste per person. The quality of waste also depends on
local habits, and on how developed the area is.

Storage - Waste storage system must be choosen as function of quantity and qualitative waste
characteristics, the frequency in which the collection is operated, the type of building (house, flat), the cost
of the containers, and the type of the containers (returnable or not).

Collection - This is the most expensive activity in waste management. It spends from 50 to 70% of the
waste management budget. The collection system is directly related to waste transportation from the
generating sources to treatment plants or final disposal site.

Transportation - The motor vehicles mostly used in urban collection systems are ordinary trucks, trunk
trucks and compactors trucks.
Treatment - It is an intermediary phase between collection and final disposal. Its aim is to process the waste
before disposing of it, in order to better achieve economic, sanitary and environmental results. Different
ways of processing the waste can occur together. The main known ways of treatment are compactation,
griding, combustion, composting, and recycling.

Final disposal - In fact, the only method of final waste disposal is the landfill, which can be classified into
ordinary landfill, controlled landfill, and sanitary landfill. When solid waste is disposed of in landfills,
transformations may occur, such as biological, chemical and physical reactions. Thus, the main concerns
about landfilling solid waste that can affect human health and the environment can be summarised in the
uncontrolled release of gases, the impact of gas release on the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, the
potential groundwater and surface waters contamination by the uncontrolled release of leachate, and the
potentiality in developing disease vectors in improperly managed landfills.

The recent world policy in solid waste management goes towards waste minimisation. There is a great
concern about the limited capacity of final disposal sites (landfills) in receiving daily loads of waste. Based
on this, systems that have been created to treat waste -and by doing this, reducing waste volume- have a
large contribution on this subject.

The principal phases on waste management seen before are the stake points in defining sustainability
indicators for a waste management approach. It is necessary first to understand how the waste management
system works and what are its operational demands in order to identify parameters that, based on the
principles of futurity, equity, and environment, will be able to define sustainability indicators on this issue.

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

"Solid waste management problems continue to plague many urban areas of developing countries, where
cities spend 20 to 40 percent of their revenues on refuse collection and disposal, yet fail to collect 30 to 50
percent of their solid wastes. Without adequate collection, treatment or disposal, solid wastes obstruct
drainage, promote disease vectors, and are aesthetically offensive. These problems are particularly acute in
the sprawling, impoverished areas surrounding many major cities"(Light, 1990). Although the ultimate trends
have been the privatisation of some services, it is worth reminding that the State has its specifically role, by
nature, in several of them, as like as the regulation of waste management, while operational phases can be
managed by the private sector. Both initiatives (governmental and private), however, can be perfectly
conduced in a participatory basis, where communities and all kind of organised associations can discuss
together its role and actions towards a sustainable society (Stren et al., 1992).

Developing countries, as the proper terminology suggests, live a process of changes: they follow a path that
began on the underdeveloped stage and aim to reach the developed phase. The concept of development,
used to label the nations of the world, is strongly related to economic wealth. Munn (1992) points out that
the word development is often taken to mean growth, particularly in the context of economic or industrial
development. Following this concept it is easy to conclude that development, in that sense, generates a
consumer society, which then is able to consume a variety of goods produced by its industries and,
therefore, able to generate more solid wastes. Not only the amount of wastes generated is increased, but
also its type -industrial refuse- is going to be a new challenge to waste management bodies in developing
areas, as they are seldom prepared to deal with that new subject. What happens is a significant change in
waste composition; from almost organic material to a considerable increase of industrialised matter.

In short, waste management activities in developing countries are mainly affected by urban population
increase; the rising of a consumer society; low political priority that is given to the sector; absence or bad
organisation of the body responsible for refuse collection, treatment and disposal; lack of data to plan the
system; lack of knowledge about waste characteristics; non defined policy for the sector; lack of regulation
about the matter; reduced financial resource to invest on the sector; inefficiently or inappropriate use of
equipment; low socio-economic living conditions of the population; uncorrected way to dispose of solid
waste; ragpickers (informal labours); lack of labour organisation; and almost non-qualified labours.

As other developing country cities reality on a waste management analysis, Brazilian cites, in a general way,
are also far off reaching a sustainable management pattern. The main aspects that must be considered to
the construction of sustainability indicators for a waste management approach applied to the Brazilian
reality, in short are the limited financial resources to be applied on waste management sector; massive
participation of government on waste management activities; distinct scenarios in waste management
varying from city to city; massive presence of informal labourers (ragpickers); very low rate of waste
treatment; very high rate of disposing of the waste in a wrong way; recent experience of local governments
in running waste segregate collection; high costs of segregate collection systems maintained by local
governments bodies; and considered net of establishments that deal with waste recycling.

As can be seen, waste management activities in developing countries still need to be addressed in a
sustainable analysis, although socio-economic conditions on those areas have already introduced several
strategies that are perfectly compatible to a sustainable society; recycling, as an example.

SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS FOR A WASTE MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Several studies have been carried out with the aim of defining models of sustainable city development. In
1993, the University of Leeds started The Quantifiable City project with the aim of developing a generic
meso-scale computer model of city processes focused on sustainable development objectives. The
completed model will be used to investigate the interactions between city activities and their impact on the
physical, ecological and human environment. In its final form the model would facilitate the investigation
and prediction of sustainability impacts produced by alternative future urban development scenarios. The
model will act as a focus facility available as a planning tool for city policy makers and for other
sustainability researchers wishing to test their research in a modelled environment" (Mitchell, 1995). Up to
1995, the Quantifiable City project defined 23 sustainability indicators directly or indirectly related to waste
management issues.

The method used to construct sustainability indicators in the present project is the same method used on the
Quantifiable City project. The PICABUE method derives its name from the seven steps that must be
followed on the indicators construction, which are:

"Stake holders to reach a consensus on the Principles and definitions of a sustainable development that
are used and the objectives of the sustainability indicators programme;
Identify and select Issues of concern;
Construct/select indicators of issues of concern;
Augment indicators developed in the third step by sustainable development principles identified in fourth
step;
Modify fourth step indicators to address Boundary issues;
Develop Uncertainty indicators from fourth step augmented indicators;
Evaluate and review final sustainability indicators" (Mitchell et al., 1995).

The identification and selection of issues of concern for a waste management approach considers the
principal phases -and their specific characteristics- of waste management activities.

On the Quantifiable City project, quality of life is the principal sustainability goal. The Quantifiable City
project identified six themes of quality of life: health; personal development; community development;
security; physical environment; and natural resources, goods and services. The present study, working only
with the theme of natural resources, goods and service, where waste management fits in, identifies the
phases of waste generation, storage, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal, as the primary
components of sustainability indicators on a waste management approach. By applying the third step of the
PICABUE method and from the relevant literature, reference indicators are then defined in each one of the
six primary components.

On the following step, the three main principles on sustainable development (futurity, equity, and
environment) are crossed with each reference indicator in order to identify sustainability indicators. A futurity
augmentation approach "express the rate of consumption of a resource relative to the resource renewal or
substitution limit" (Mitchell, 1995). The achievement or not of services/facilities amongst different social or
economic groups is sought by the equity principle augmentation. The environmental augmentation aims to
identify how relevant ecological elements with resource value are being threatened by actions which involve
environmental pressure. In some cases, special considerations were given towards the spatial units which
the indicators relate to (boundary considerations), and also related to the lack of knowledge (uncertainty
considerations). Those considerations are not presented on this paper (total of six).

It is worth reminding that unlike the Quantifiable City project development, the present study does not
construct indicators based on public opinion survey, and neither does it count on the evaluation of external
collaborating groups during the phase of indicators evaluation. Because of the limitations on developing the
present study, indicators have been constructed based only on literature survey, and the review of them
took in consideration the indicators evaluation criteria pointed out by the PICABUE methodology. These
criteria, however, do not imply in being all of them applied by each indicator in its evaluation analysis.
These eight criteria are relevance and scientific validity; sensitive to change across space and/or groups;
sensitive to change over time; supported by consistent data; understandable; expressed with an appropriate
data transformation; measurable; and open to the setting of targets and critical limits.

The following tables present the results achieved. Each indicator represents an evaluation done on how
easy to obtain the respective data on the context of local governments in developing countries should be
(taking the average local administration in Brazil as reference). Therefore, * represents easy, ** moderately
difficult, and *** dificult:

easy - when the minimum organisation of the waste management is necessary to respond those questions;
moderately difficult - when data to be collected need special survey that can be conducted by the waste
management body. In this specific classification it is worth pointing out that even uncertainty information
were here classified. It is the example of waste generation and waste landifilling. On the first case, as the
amount of collected waste is not 100%, its is impossible to state the correct amount of waste generated. The
same happens on the case of final disposal, where a significant part of the non collected garbage ends to
be disposed of on illegal and unknown sites. In both cases, surrogate measures should be to work with
estimated values;
difficult - when data to be obtained need special survey that can not be conduced by the waste management
body, either by its technical limitations, or by the complexity of the demand.

RESULTS

Natural resources, goods and services: Generation (Municipal Solid Waste)

Reference indicator Total amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation (tonnes/annum) **
Reference indicator augmentation
Application of sustainability principle to Proposed sustainability indicator
reference indicator
Futurity - An indicator that evaluates the Boundaries achieved (percentage of reduction) of MSW
results of the policy on MSW minimisation minimisation in a period of four years *
Equity - An indicator that shows the Percentage of MSW generation by different levels of social
amount of MSW generation by different classes **; Percentage of MSW generation by different
types of social classes areas (districts) of a city **; Generation per capita
(Kg/person) of MSW by different levels of social classes **
Environment - An indicator that quantifies Rate of total amount of MSW generation increasing *
on how the environment can be
threatened by MSW generation
Environment - An indicator that qualifies Percentage of recyclable, compostible and refuse materials
on how the environment can be present on MSW composition *; Composition (percentage)
threatened by MSW generation of MSW (glass, metal, organic material, paper, plastic) *

Natural resources, goods and services: Storage (Municipal Solid Waste)

Reference indicator Percentage of MSW generated storage to waste collection as prescribed on
regulations **; costs of storing MSW at generation sources **
Reference indicator augmentation
Application of sustainability principle to
reference indicator
Futurity - An indicator that shows the use of
returnable and non returnable container for
waste storage at home
Equity - An indicator that shows if local
regulations indicate different types of
containers adequate to different types of
social classes
Equity - An indicator that shows the variation
of types of containers as a function of type of
housing units
Equity - An indicator that shows the relation
of containers' cost indicated in the local
regulations and the population income
Equity - An indicator that shows if the phase
of storing waste at generation sources
involves more people than the proper dweller
Environment - An indicator that shows if the
containers are used in a sanitary manner
Proposed sustainability indicator
Percentage of houses that discharge their waste in
returnable containers **; Percentage of houses that
discharge their waste in non returnable containers **
Number of types of containers indicated in regulations
per different levels of social classes *
Number of types of containers indicated in regulations
per different types of housing units *
Percentage of family income spent on waste storage
containers (returnable) in one year, per different type of
social classes ***; Percentage of family income spent on
waste storage containers (non returnable) in one year,
per different type of social classes ***
Percentage of housing units that count on a proper
employee to handle waste containers/dustbins to the
collection point, per different types of housing units ***
Percentage of containers used by the population that
follow the sanitary conditions prescribed in the
regulations **

Natural resources, goods and services: Collection (Municipal Solid Waste)

Reference indicator Total amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) collected (tonnes/annum) *
Reference indicator augmentation
Application of sustainability principle to Proposed sustainability indicator
reference indicator
Futurity - An indicator that shows how planned Ratio between kilometre run and the amount of waste
collection itineraries are collected *; Ratio between time spent to collect the full
load of the itinerary and the amount of waste
collected *; Frequency (times in a period of four years)
that collection itineraries are update *
Equity - An indicator that quantifies the Percentage of population that have MSW frequently
population that can count on a waste collection collected *
service
Equity - An indicator that qualifies the Percentage of MSW collected from different levels of
population that can count on a waste collection social classes **; Percentage of MSW collected from
service different areas/districts of a city *
Equity - An indicator that shows if the Percentage of population per different levels of social
technique applied on waste collection varies classes that are an integral part of MSW collection
related to different levels of social classes system **
Equity - An indicator that shows the amount of Percentage of MSW collected by official collection
waste collected by informal labours from lower system reclaimed by informal labours from lower
social class before the official curbside social classes on a door-to-door informal collection ***
collection operation
Environment - An indicator that relates the Frequency (times a week) of MSW collection on
frequency of waste collection with type of predominantly residential areas of a city *; Frequency
source generator (times a week) of MSW collection on predominantly
commercial areas of a city *; Frequency (times a week)
of MSW collection on city centre *
Environment - An indicator that shows how Level of sound (decibels) produced by handling
appropriated are containers/dustbins to containers/dustbins to be empty in MSW collector
collection operation, considering the potential vehicles *
sonorous pollution in handling them

Natural resources, goods and services: Transportation (Municipal Solid Waste)

Reference indicator Ratio between vehicles fleet capacity and total amount of MSW generation **
Reference indicator augmentation
Application of sustainability principle to
reference indicator
Futurity - An indicator that shows if the type
of conveyance fleet used on waste
transportation is "environmentally friendly"
Futurity - An indicator that shows the
efficiency of the conveyance fleet
Equity - An indicator that shows how
adequate to local conditions the
conveyance fleet is
Environment - An indicator that identifies
areas in a city mainly affected by particles
concentration released by conveyance fleet
Proposed sustainability indicator
Percentage of vehicles fleet that use any kind of
renewable fuel *
Ratio between litres of fuel spent and the amount of MSW
transported from the last collection point to treatment or
disposal site *; Ratio between litres of fuel spent and the
kilometres run, in a period of one month, in transporting
MSW from the last collection point to treatment or
disposal site *
Number of different types of vehicles used in MSW
conveyance per different areas/districts of a city *;
Percentage of conveyance fleet vehicles that do not
demand external assistance on their maintenance *
Percentage of city population exposed to particles
concentration above local standards, released by MSW
conveyance fleet **

Natural resources, goods and services: Treatment (Municipal Solid Waste)

Reference indicator Total amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treated (tonnes/annum) **
Reference indicator augmentation
Application of sustainability principle to Proposed sustainability indicator
reference indicator
Futurity - An indicator that shows how MSW Percentage of total collected MSW that is treated in
with potential value as a resource is recycling plants per annum for city *; Percentage of
conserved total collected MSW that is treated in combustion plants
per annum for city *; Percentage of total collected MSW
that is treated in composting plants per annum for city *
Futurity - An indicator that shows the amount Percentage of total collected MSW that is recovered into
of waste recovered into energy energy in waste-to-energy plants per annum for city *
Futurity - An indicator that identifies the Percentage of total collected MSW that is recovered into
amount of waste recovered into soil soil improvement material per annum for city *
improvement material
Futurity - An indicator that shows the amount Percentage of raw material that is saved by treating
of raw material that is saved in recycling MSW in recycling plants per annum for city ***
processes
Futurity - An indicator that shows the amount Area of landfill saved by treating the collected MSW
of landfill area saved by treating waste before disposing it of per annum for city *
before disposing it of
Futurity - An indicator that shows the profits Percentage of total collected MSW that is reduced after
in treating waste to its total disposal being submitted to a treatment process per annum for
reduction city *
Equity - An indicator that quantifies people Percentage of population that are directly affected by
exposure to nuisance, and/or visual intrusion, nuisance, and/or visual intrusion, and/or atmospheric
and/or atmospheric pollution caused by pollution, caused by MSW treatment plants *
treatment plants
Equity - An indicator that qualifies people Percentage of population by different levels of social
exposure to nuisance, and/or visual intrusion, classes that are directly affected by nuisance, and/or
and/or atmospheric pollution caused by visual intrusion, and/or atmospheric pollution, caused
treatment plants by MSW treatment plants **
Equity - An indicator that shows how different Percentage of population, by different levels of social
groups of people have access to recycling classes, without recycling facilities within 1km of home
facilities **
Equity - An indicator that shows the Ratio between total amount of recyclable materials
accessibility of recyclable goods to city recovered in recycling plants and total amount of
recycling market recyclable materials commercialised in one year ***
Environment - An indicator that determines Total gaseous and particulate concentrations released
gaseous/ particulate concentrations released into the atmosphere in metropolitan area
into the atmosphere by combustion plants (tonnes/annum) by combustion plants **
Natural resources, goods and services: Disposal (Municipal Solid Waste)
Reference indicator Total amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfilled (tonnes/annum) **; area
of land per annum used to landfill MSW **
Reference indicator augmentation
Application of sustainability principle to reference Proposed sustainability indicator
indicator
Futurity - An indicator that shows how quickly waste Area of land used per annum to landfill MSW **;
disposal sites are being used Percentage of landfill capacity used per annum
in disposing MSW of **
Futurity - An indicator that relates the disponibility of Ratio between landfill volume capacity and daily
areas in landfills, amount of waste generation and volume average of MSW generation in a period
time of four years **
Futurity - An indicator of the rate at which Area of contaminated land by MSW landfill
contaminated land is cleaned up cleaned per annum as a percentage of total
contaminated land area by MSW landfill ***
Futurity - An indicator that relates the profits Total amount of financial profits achieved in
achieved with recovering energy from landfill and the selling energy recovered from MSW landfill as a
operational costs of landfill percentage of its operational costs *
Futurity - An indicator that shows the potential urban Ratio between landfill area and the number of
leisure use of landfill area in the future people that will be living 500m next to landfill
area after ending up its activities ***
Equity - An indicator that shows how much MSW is Percentage of MSW disposed of on landfill that is
reclaimed on landfill areas by the action of informal reclaimed by the action of informal labours on
labour, and its relation to the number and social landfills, by numbers of informal labours per
group of those informal labours different social groups **
Equity - An indicator that quantifies people exposure Percentage of population that are directly
to nuisance, and/or visual intrusion, and/or affected by nuisance, and/or visual intrusion,
atmospheric pollution caused by landfill areas and/or atmospheric pollution, caused by MSW
landfill *
Equity - An indicator that qualifies people exposure Percentage of population by different levels of
to nuisance, and/or visual intrusion, and/or social classes that are directly affected by
atmospheric pollution caused by landfill areas nuisance, and/or visual intrusion, and/or
atmospheric pollution, caused by MSW landfill **
Equity - An indicator that qualifies people affected by Percentage of population, by different levels of
Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration that exceeds social classes, affected by Carbon dioxide (CO2)
local limits, released by MSW landfill concentration that exceeds local standards,
released by MSW landfill ***
Equity - An indicator that qualifies people affected by Percentage of population, by different levels of
Methane (CH4) concentration that exceeds local social classes, affected by Methane (CH4)
limits, released by MSW landfill concentration that exceeds local standards,
released by MSW landfill ***
Equity - An indicator that relates proximity to Ratio of number of people in highest to lowest
contaminated land to socio-economic group socio-economic group within 500m of
contaminated land ***
Environment - An indicator that identifies the Mean daily Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration
concentration of Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration (ppm) at MSW landfill area ***; Number of days
released by MSW landfill per year that Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration
(ppm) exceeds local standards ***
Environment - An indicator that identifies the Mean daily Methane (CH4) concentration (ppm)
concentration of Methane (CH4) released by MSW at MSW landfill area ***; Number of days per year
landfill that Methane (CH4) concentration exceeds local
standards ***
Environment - An indicator that relates the amount of Ratio between the amount of leachate treated
leachate treated and the amount of leachate and the amount of leachate produced ***
produced
Environment - An indicator that relates the area Percentage of urban area affected by leachate
affected by leachate percolation with total urban area percolation ***
Environment - An indicator that shows how land Area of contaminated land by MSW landfill that
contamination affects ecological resources formerly had wildlife value **
Sustainability indicators for a waste management approach defined by the present study have shown that
even with all ordinary problems already known in waste management that developing countries deal with, it
is possible to construct a planning framework compatible to local demands and local limitations, to be used
towards a sustainable development pattern.

Until the computer model -which is the principal goal of the Quantifiable City project- is not already defined
and adapted to be applied to developing countries reality, this project indicators can be useful to
demonstrate the need for reliable data collection, and to indicate which kind of data must be collected.
Further analysis of them can be an aid to the discussion and determination of future local standards.
Besides, sustainability indicators need to be already defined, and in practice evaluated, previously to the
application of a computer model.

It can be seen that waste management encompasses many issues that must take into account towards the
establishment of a sustainable society, even considering possible difficulties that local governments in
developing countries deal with. The evaluation of the results of this study shows that 39% indicators can be
easily accessed, other 39% present moderately difficulties in obtaining data, and the remaining 22% are
under the classification of being difficult to be answered. The study also shows that:

The present challenge to an urban sustainable society is the attempt to rehabilitate cities into a
sustainable pattern;
Indicators are powerful tools to show trends, to aid in decision making, monitoring and judging specific
policies;
The construction of sustainability indicators for a waste management approach to be applied on
developing countries must mainly consider social, managerial, technical and economic aspects;
Indicators must be flexible to be applied to a variety of geographical areas with different scales, in
different managerial situations;
Basic data on waste management activities is essential to be known once considerable number of
indicators is based on percentage of total Municipal Solid Waste either generated or collected;
Indicators must be adaptable to different scenarios of waste management. For this reason, they refer to
local regulation when having to deal with standards or limits;
Indicators constructed on the principle of equity almost consider either different levels of social classes
or different areas (districts) of a city as parameters because these two are easy to be measured as
reference on the respective analysis;
The construction of indicators must also consider indirect costs involved in some activities, in order to
evaluate its real feature into a sustainable analysis. As an example, collection system that involve
dwellers and/or ragpickers as an integral part of the system;
The massive presence of informal labours on the collection phase is one constant to be considered on
indicators construction phase for less developed countries.

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