A CONTRIBUTION TO THE STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT IN VALLE DE ABURRA AREA, MEDELLIN-COLOMBIA

摘要

The Valle de Aburra area, corresponds to the city of Medellin and neighboring municipalities, with more than 3 million people. The area generates a sizable amount of solid waste, which has been taken to landfills for the last 20 years. This paper proposes a model for public policy making which considers the cost and benefit of different alternatives to handle the wastes in the coming 20 years. Combinations of several alternatives: Recycling, waste reduction, waste separation, incineration, land filling with lixiviate treating and gas energy recovery, and organic waste composting are considered and modeled and the results presented as a contribution for a more rational approach to policy making than the one currently being employed.