Metodologías de caracterización de residuos sólidos urbanos. Una revisión

Abstract

Solid waste characterization methods are destined for the determination of the physical composition, generation rates and per capita production of different waste generated in municipalities, factories, institutions or selected study areas, they allow to evaluate generation of populations trends as well as the amounts of waste according to the economic activities that are carried out. They are characterized by being suitable for their execution in different places which can be the generating sources or the final disposal spaces, they have their own evaluation parameters in the production of waste according to the information to be obtained, total volume or volume fraction, weight of waste, densities or future generation projections. The comparison of the methods allows to know the viability of each, the duration and frequency that entails its realization and the complexity that its processes encompass as established in the theory elaborated by researchers in the characterization studies. The methods of difference of weights and quartering, weight-volume analysis, analysis of the number of loads, mass balance and analysis by statistical sampling show that each one can be applied according to the information requirements that one wishes to determine because each one establishes a flexible methodology that is easy to implement as a tool to improve information on the generation and composition of solid waste. The quartering and analysis by statistical sampling are applicable methods for Colombia because they allow obtaining the physical composition of the waste to know the percentages of waste generation, production per capita, generation per capita, current waste quantity and future generation