Avaliação da aplicabilidade de ferramenta computacional para gerenciamento de resíduos químicos em instituições de ensino superior

Abstract

Since the 1970s, the participation of universities in debates on environmental issues and in the construction of actions in favor of sustainable development has grown. Many political institutions search through the concept of their institutional fields. Difficulties are necessarily in this process, such as: lack of commitment and of an environmental one, dependence on resources, continuity of actions, need for computational tools to support management, for example. The State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), object of this study, still does not have a formalized environmental policy, nor a waste management plan, despite the actions underway by the City Hall of its campuses. This research aims to evaluate the application of a computational tool (Hazardous Waste Management System - SIGER) developed at UERJ and applied in eight laboratories of its Institute of Chemistry. The procedures used were: bibliographic research, document analysis, questionnaire, on-site observations on waste management in laboratories. After adjusting the functions of SIGER for this purpose, a survey was carried out in the laboratories to implement the database. The study showed the need for adjustments to this system to better fulfill its role of supporting waste management. One of the problems identified concerns the high amount of information to be released in its database, demanding greater availability of technicians, which is not always the case. It was also identified the lack of some functions in the system for its optimization, such as the characterization by specific type of residues in the statistical graph, allowing the identification of the variation of residues. It is expected that the university will continue this work, institutionalizing a waste management policy, particularly hazardous waste, so that it can advance in its path of promoting socio-environmental sustainability.