Public management of construction and demolition waste in the city of São Paulo

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the management of construction and demolition waste by the local government in the city of São Paulo. Considering the existing inadequate disposal of this waste in areas of public property this work discusses a recent set of actions, which have been jointly organized by the community and the state aiming to reduce the environmental degradation and the waste of natural resources. The study suggests that the absence of public policies, the lack of a well structured public organisation responsible for managing construction and demolition waste, and ineffective control by the community in the city of São Paulo, in the last ten years, are the main causes of the inadequate deposition of such waste.