Overview of municipal public spending on urban cleaning services and solid waste management: an analysis of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (MG)

ABSTRACT The growing generation of urban solid waste (USW) undistinctively affects countries having different levels of development. The lack of adequate planning and management of USW causes damage to the quality of life of the population and to the environment and increases the costs of handling this waste. This work is aimed to present a panorama of municipal public expenditures between 2009 and 2017 on urban cleaning services in 31 out of 34 municipalities comprising the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The municipalities were ordered by population groups, according to the classification of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed and the normality of the data was tested (Shapiro-Wilk test; α = 5%). The existence of a correlation between municipal revenues and expenses relative to the management of USW was also evaluated (Spearman test; α = 5%). The existence of significant differences among groups of municipalities due to the grouping by population (Kruskal-Wallis test; α = 5%) was also verified. In general, the results showed significant differences in the per capita cost spent by municipalities with SUW management services among the six population groups compared. Municipal expenditures for the “over 500,000 inhabitants” population group were significantly higher than for other groups. Although it does not discuss quality and extension of the services, this work contributes to the area, given the scarcity of studies involving costs and SUW, as well as enables the creation of strategies aimed at optimizing public spending aimed at financial sustainability.