HISTORICAL TRAJECTORY OF WASTE IN THE CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO AND ITS REPRESENTATIONS

Abstract

This research aimed to know the historical trajectory of waste in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the evolution of practices and the structures of representation that impact the environment and public health. The methodology used in this research was micro-history, the reading of the representations proposed by Roger Chartier and Bardin's content analysis procedures with the application of categorical-thematic and lexical techniques with the support of the IRaMuTeQ software. The results generated 148 reports and 1149 segments of texts emerged for analysis. In the analyses produced, structures of important representativeness in the contextualization of cultural historical production were identified: types of waste; waste management; problems related to waste; stereotypes, prejudices and stigmas associated with waste; characters associated with waste and other related subjects. It was concluded that, despite the improvement in the waste collection services of Rio de Janeiro and the cleanliness of the city, there is a long way to go to improve the rates of adequate final disposal of waste, the initiatives of reuse, recycling and industrialization. Therefore, the role of society is to redefine garbage, changes in practices, since knowing various forms of industrialization, recycling and reuse, allows us to generate profits, reduce the impacts on public health and the environment arising from improper disposal and unnecessary treatments.