Copel GET’s Environmental Management Program includes, among others, the Solid Waste Management Subprogram, developed in accordance with the National Solid Waste Policy and current legislation and regulations, based on prior requirements for establishing the planning and management of activities . The subprogram is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs, mainly 03 – Health and well-being, 11 – Sustainable cities and communities and 12 – Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns.
Among the main objectives of the subprogram, the following stand out: meeting the legal requirements and the conditions of the environmental licensing of the projects, promoting the correct management of solid waste, from generation to final destination, preventing negative environmental impacts associated with this environmental aspect of facilities and maximize positive impacts throughout the process.
As established by the National Solid Waste Policy, the Company has Solid Waste Management Plans – PGRS for its projects, thus shaping macro policies for the specificities of each location. The controls and monitoring of the plans are carried out in two ways: the quantity is carried out by weighing the waste and the information is registered in the company’s Corporate Waste Registry – RCR software; and qualitative monitoring is carried out through inspections.
Within the scope of the Solid Waste Management Subprogram, training is also carried out, highlighting the guidelines of the National Solid Waste Policy, whose management is guided by the order of priority: not generating, reducing, reusing, recycling, treating and disposing, thus promoting dialogues regarding the prevention of waste generation in the projects and in the routine activities of the employees.
There are several waste generated as a result of activities carried out at Copel’s facilities and each is treated in a specific way. Waste with commercial value is sold at auction, such as scrap metal, batteries, used lubricating and insulating oils. The disposal process aims at forwarding these materials that still have the capacity to use and economic added value, often returning, through recycling, to various production chains.
Organic waste and tailings resulting from office activities are disposed of by the facility where they were generated, through composting, contracting or municipal collection. The recyclable waste generated in administrative activities is properly segregated and the destination to cooperatives or associations of recyclable material collectors is prioritized, as provided for in State Decree No. The program promotes the maximization of social and environmental gains, as it contributes to the generation of income and the improvement of working conditions for waste collectors and the use of materials.
As for waste containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls – PCBs, the Company disposes of contaminated oil and equipment for companies specialized in decontamination or incineration.
Hazardous waste from the operational production processes of the units – most of which have composition and calorific potential for disposal through the co-processing technique – are collected by companies hired especially for this purpose and are sent to clinker production furnaces, in the production of cement, thus taking advantage of the energy contained in these materials and providing enormous environmental gains.
Some waste mainly from civil maintenance activities or from the demobilization and maintenance of electrical equipment, due to its characteristics, cannot be destined for recycling or co-processing, leaving no alternative but disposal in industrial landfills, however, its generation is exceptional.
The Solid Waste and PCB Management Subprogram provides greater planning and management of the Company’s activities in a macro way regarding waste management in its projects, among the numerous benefits of the subprogram, the following stand out:
- Promotion of adequate management of the company’s solid waste, from generation to final disposal;
- Prevention of associated environmental impacts;
- Monitoring of full compliance with legal requirements and environmental licensing conditions for Copel GeT projects;
- Expansion of knowledge of employees, promoting training on waste management;
- Identification of opportunities to reduce the volume of waste generated, thus promoting cost reduction;
- Attendance to sustainability platforms regarding waste management;
- Contribution to the Company’s sustainable management and its visibility.
