Waste management: the case of the manufacturing sector in the State of Mexico, Mexico

Abstract

Manufacturing sector is characterized by the use of machines with the objective of carrying out some type of transformation, consequently, this industry is considered as an engine of the world economy. Unfortunately, not all the implications that derive from the sector are positive, for example the generation of waste on a large scale, especially in highly populated areas such as the Estado de México (Edomex) entity with the largest number of inhabitants in the República Mexicana. Considering the generation of thousands of tons of waste reported by the 10 municipalities with the highest contribution to the gross domestic product in the Edomex, the objective of this work is to identify the main factors associated with the treatment and final disposal of waste by industries manufacturers in that area. By a quantitative analysis based on data from the Censos Económicos 2019 of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, and information from the Sistema Integral de Residuos del Estado de México; results show that, despite of the high private costs involved in the use of sanitary landfills and the low number of those sites, companies mostly select these final disposal sites for their wastes. On the other hand, it is shown that waste management of the manufacturing sector at Edomex is the same as waste management of the manufacturing sector at national level. It is concluded that the impact associated with the generation of waste at the Edomex level is high, so it is important to promote and strengthen public policy in environmental matters and in terms of social responsibility.