Environmental impact of solid waste produced by flower stores from cementerio Miraflores, Trujillo district

Abstract

This research identified meaningful environmental impacts produced by the production of solid residues in the flower stores nearby Cementerio Miraflores, an activity recorded in the field since August 2010 until April 2011. Along this investigation it was determinate the negative impacts of the problem, which affects the health of flower shop and cemetery workers and the landscape´s quality. Currently, the residues are disaggregated and burnt in the same area, being found at three sampled zones: Tupac Amaru Avenue, Miraflores Avenue, and Cementerio Miraflores. It was recorded a nine months accumulated of 131 tons of solid waste, mostly composed by residues of organic materials. Variance analysis (ANOVA) of our data did not determine a significant difference in weight and volume among the sampling zones. It was also used the methodology of Conesa (1997), through which was determined a moderate environmental impact, being concluded that the impact generated by the domestic solid waste from flower stores affect negatively the local environment because 1) its large quantity and volume, 2) occurrence of health problems in the local workers affected by their daily exposition to residues, 3) alteration of the landscape´s quality by the temporal placing of residues in public areas, and 4) an inadequate program of residue recollection. Finally, my research proposes the implementation of a compost production system to solve the ecological problem seen in the Cementerio Miraflores sector.