Locational alternatives studies of landings in environmental licensing processes of Minas Gerais State

Abstract

Landfill is a typology of project causing significant impact, therefore, subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, in which the study of alternatives will be developed for choice of an appropriate area option for construction of the project. The present work aimed to evaluate how the studies of locational alternatives of landfills in licensing processes with EIA in the State of Minas Gerais (MG) - Brazil are being considered. The methodology consisted in investigating the environmental licensing processes of landfills in MG that considered the study of locational alternatives through the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) available in the Integrated Environmental Information System. A total of 1,584 cases were found, of which 17 had EIS, 8 were available and only 7 had a study of locational alternatives, which were analyzed. The case studies, especially the selection of areas criteria used, were compared to each other and later compared to literature. The comparisons made it possible to establish which criteria are being used and to attest that there is no model methodology, resulting in different ways of adopting criteria and processes for selecting the area for the final disposal of waste.