Gestão de Resíduos Sólidos Urbanos e Efetividade Normativa: O Caso do Município de Jaraguá (GO)

Abstract

The management of urban solid waste constitutes one of the main contemporary socio-environmental challenges, especially in small and medium-sized municipalities where financial and institutional limitations hinder the implementation of environmentally sound solutions. In light of the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS – Law No. 12.305/2010), this article analyzes the historical and legal evolution of public policies for the management of urban solid waste in Brazil, articulating the fundamentals of Environmental Law and Environmental History, with emphasis on the case study of the municipality of Jaraguá/GO. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach, of a historical-documentary and legal-normative nature, based on the analysis of legislation, official plans, technical reports, institutional data, and public communication materials. The results show that Jaraguá underwent a late, but significant, process of adapting to the guidelines of the PNRS (National Solid Waste Policy), marked by the definitive closure of the open-air landfill, the implementation of selective collection, the formalization of a waste picker cooperative, and the adoption of a licensed transshipment and final disposal system in a sanitary landfill. The study demonstrates that the intervention of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Goiás, combined with the creation of municipal economic instruments and the intensification of environmental education campaigns, was decisive in overcoming structural and regulatory obstacles. It concludes that the case of Jaraguá reveals the importance of integrating legal regulation, public policies, and social participation for the effective implementation of sustainable urban solid waste management, while also highlighting limitations related to the promotion of responsible consumption, pointing to persistent challenges for the consolidation of environmentally sustainable cities.