Destinação de embalagens de defensivos agrícolas e atuação do INPEV na Serra da Ibiapaba e Litoral Metropolitano do Ceará

Abstract

Agricultural production in the State of Ceará has been standing out in the Northeast region, due to the insertion of technological packages more suited to the sector's needs. Concerning this production, the Serra da Ibiapaba region and the Litoral Metropolitano region, which include some coastal municipalities, have relevant agricultural activities, such as the cultivation of vegetables and tropical fruits. However, the intensive use of these areas leads to an increase in insecticide applications, and the improper disposal of the products' packaging becomes a constant concern. In Brazil, the National Institute for Processing Empty Containers (InpEV) was created to coordinate reverse logistics and also plays an important role in raising farmers' awareness, together with the public authorities. Therefore, this work aimed to describe and measure the performance of InpEV in the Serra da Ibiapaba and Litoral Metropolitano regions, as well as to evaluate the level of knowledge of farmers about the correct destination of pesticide packaging. For this, a structured questionnaire with 13 questions was applied to 20 producers from each region under study, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. It was found that, in the Serra da Ibiapaba Region, most farmers have a higher level of knowledge regarding InpEV's performance and frequently carry out the proper disposal of packaging. In the Litoral Metropolitano region, it was observed that information about the correct packaging destination isn't widely disseminated. Most farmers interviewed in this region are unaware of the collection points, resulting in a deficiency in proper disposal. In both regions, the farmers store and treat packaging incorrectly, as well as some farmers reuse empty packaging due to a lack of knowledge and technical training. Thus, it was possible to observe the need for greater guidance and dissemination of information by competent agencies.