Entering Rocinha: a Gis approach for the improvement of solid waste management in a slum in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Solid waste management (SWM) is recognized worldwide as an important issue to be addressed with the aim of enhancing liveability. The Rocinha favela (slum) depicts a synthesis of the challenges to be faced in this field: high population density, lack of space and narrow streets, residents struggling with low incomes. In Rocinha, service coverage is lacking and inadequate in numerous sectors, including SWM. The present study investigates the reasons underlying this inadequacy. As an initial step, waste streams were analysed and the SWM system and its criticalities delineated. All accessible information was used, with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) playing an important role in data processing. In the final discussion, a small-scale and decentralized waste management network to be implemented in collaboration with the centralized collection system is suggested. This study was conducted as part of the Polimipararocinha project focussed on the overall urban re-qualification of Rocinha.