Correlation between waste generation, population and GDP of cities in Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract

The problem of solid waste (garbage or rubble) is a global problem that affects the environment, public health, and the quality of life of people all over the world. In this work, a literature review and quantitative research were carried out on the websites of the Institute of Water and Sanitation and Dataviva of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, to collect the data needed to verify whether or not there is a correlation between population size, waste generation and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. This work used the correlation coefficient, which is widely used to measure the relationships between variables and what they represent, and is important for drawing up overviews in studies with many related variables so that it is possible to understand how the variability of one affects the other. The results show that population size and per capita waste generation showed a weak positive correlation and GDP per capita and per capita waste generation showed a very weak negative correlation. It can be concluded that economic and population aspects can influence the total volume of waste generated, but that they did not emerge as determining factors in isolation, showing that different populations (in terms of age structure, household arrangement structure, and cultural habits, among others) practice different consumption patterns, generating different amounts of solid waste.