The increase of the environmental impact of the discards of Urban Waste is forcing the use of the recycling as a form of environmental preservation. The generation of solid urban waste on the planet is on average 1.2 kg/person/day, in Brazil 1.06 kg and in Manaus 1.3 kg, accumulating 33,544 tons in the city in 2015, being 13.4% plastic (4,495 tons) that were eventually disposed of in the sanitary landfill at km 19 of the AM-10 road. This work aims to contribute to increase the collection of information on the potential of plastic recycling in Manaus and its economic value. For that, a survey was carried out with the population of Manaus in six geographical areas of the city, whose inhabitants answered on economic questions, types of waste generated and types of discarded plastics. The results showed that there is no systematics to deal with recycling and selective collection is very incipient. The distribution of PET, HDPE and PP in the zones of Manaus and their economic value were mapped. The recycling potential of these hard plastics is 1,125 tons per month (13,495 tons/year) and could generate an economic value of R$ 3,843,925.00 (R$ 46,127,100.00/year). The North and East zones would be the most suitable for environmental awareness programs and selective collection with a focus on recycling.

Cite as: AC Kieling et al. "Economic potential of recyclable plastics in the city of Manaus (AM)". In: Scientia Amazonia, Vol. 8, nº 2, 2019, pp. CAm1-CAm15.