Barriers to the implementation of reverse logistics for organic solid waste in the Amazon: A study in a city in the metropolitan region of Belém

Barreiras à implementação da logística reversa de resíduos sólidos orgânicos na Amazônia: um estudo em cidade da região metropolitana de Belém, Pará

ABSTRACT

The reverse logistics of organic solid waste (OSW) aim to return these to the economy, seeking the recovery of organic matter and reintroduction into other productive cycles, aiming for an ecologically correct outcome. However, to achieve such results, barriers between the involved stakeholders must be overcome. In this context, this study aims to answer the following research question: What is the relative importance of barriers to the implementation of OSW reverse logistics for individual waste generators in a given territory? Therefore, the objective of this research is to verify if the barriers related to the implementation of reverse logistics of OSW for the generator stakeholder (individuals), identified in the literature, are confirmed for the reality of the city of Castanhal, Pará, as well as to rank them according to their determination for the topic using the TOPSIS tool. To do so, a survey of seven barriers in the literature was conducted, followed by a survey to confirm which barriers found in the literature are reinforced for individual waste generators in Castanhal, Pará. The results indicate that for individual waste generators, only the barrier related to the difficulty in waste separation was validated in the context of the city of Castanhal, Pará. In contrast, the affirmation regarding this barrier ranked ninth in the ranking generated from the TOPSIS method. The contributions of this study are practical and theoretical, as it reinforces the existence and importance of the tested barriers empirically, adding to the collection of studies in the area and expanding discussions on the topic. In the practical field, it validates and ranks the barriers to OSW reverse logistics, assisting in identifying difficulties and opportunities for improvement, both for public and private managers.

Keywords:
reverse logistics; barriers; stakeholders; organic solid waste; sustainability