Environmental justice in Distrito Federal: a socioeconomic analysis of solid waste management

Abstract

Brazil is a country characterized by social injustices and inequalities, which is reflected in its capital. The environmental justice studies how to overcome inequalities and their risks imposed on most socially and economically vulnerable groups. In this article, we observe the inequalities in the volume of collection and risks in the production of waste in the different Administrative Regions and correlate with the socioeconomic classification of the neighborhoods. The objective is to identify the existence (or not) of a connection between the amount of solid waste generation and the socioeconomic classification of the Administrative Regions of the Distrito Federal (DF) and if there is a situation of environmental injustice in the capital. The analytical methodology was developed from analysis of documents and published reports on solid waste and socioeconomic classification in the DF. For the quantitative of waste collection by each Administrative Region (AR), the database was the Statistical Yearbook of the DF of CODEPLAN (2019a). As for the socioeconomic grouping of AR, the database was the District Household Sample Survey (2019b). In the end, we identified a relationship where high-income neighborhoods, considerably less populated, produce more waste per habitant than other more populous neighborhoods with lower per capita income. And we conclude by the characterization of environmental injustice in DF based on inequalities in the distribution of household income, especially between Groups 1 (high income) and 4 (low income), which is also reflected in the high concentration of power and exposure to environmental risks , which mainly affect the most vulnerable population.