Sanitation and biomethane

No. 051 Census · income Sanitation and biomethane 1/4

Sewage on the mains

The mains cover the city; the countryside stays on the tank

Map of São Paulo state with its 103,000 census tracts coloured by the share of households whose sewage went to the mains, the storm drain or a tank linked to the mains in 2022, in six classes from cream (up to 10%) to dark blue (over 99%). The cream of rural tracts covers most of the territory; dark blue forms patches in the towns, the largest in Greater São Paulo. Tracts whose class is withheld are hatched. A callout points to Ibiúna, with 71% of households off the mains. In the panel, each class has a bar with its share of the state’s households, and the six towns with the most households off the mains appear as bars, led by São Paulo with 205,630. — Fig. 051 São Paulo State (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: IBGE

In 2022, 91.3% of households in São Paulo state had their sewage connected to the mains, to the storm drain or to a septic tank linked to the mains: 14.8 million out of 16.2 million. 1.41 million were missing. Painted tract by tract, the map shows the mains as an urban thing: three households in four live in tracts where over 99% are connected, but those tracts are small, and the cream of the rural tracts, where almost no one is on the mains, covers most of the state. The city of São Paulo has 205,630 households off the mains, the largest absolute number; among towns with more than 20,000 households, Ibiúna has the largest share off the mains (71%). First plate of the collection “Sanitation and biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

setores polygon 103,319 census tracts: households by sewage and rubbish destination, mains-connection class, leading destination and uncollected-rubbish class
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: IBGE — 2022 Population Census: household characteristics by census tract (2022)
IBGE — SIDRA, table 6805: households by type of sewage disposal (2022)
IBGE — 2022 Census Tract Mesh (2022)
Extent: São Paulo State (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Node.js · d3-geo · QGIS
Method: Share of each census tract’s occupied permanent private households whose sewage goes to the mains, the storm drain or a tank linked to the mains, in six classes; tracts with withheld values get a class only when it does not depend on the omitted value.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23540101

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Esgoto na rede: a rede cobre a cidade; o campo fica na fossa [Sewage on the mains: The mains cover the city; the countryside stays on the tank] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23540101

@dataset{cerejo2026_esgoto_na_rede_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {Esgoto na rede: A rede cobre a cidade; o campo fica na fossa},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23540101},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23540101},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: Sewage on the mains: The mains cover the city; the countryside stays on the tank. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

No. 052 Census · income Sanitation and biomethane 2/4

Where the sewage goes

Mains in town, pits in the country, rivers at the edge

Map of São Paulo state with census tracts coloured by where most households sent their sewage in 2022: dark blue for mains, storm drain or linked tank, olive for septic tank, ochre for rudimentary pit or hole, clay red for ditch, river, lake, stream, sea or other, and plum for no bathroom. Ochre and olive share the interior in a mosaic; blue marks the towns, the largest patch being Greater São Paulo. Tied tracts or tracts with withheld values are hatched. A callout points to the capital: 123,932 households discharge sewage into rivers, streams, lakes or the sea. In the panel, a strip shows each destination’s share of the area, and bars show the six towns with the most households discharging into rivers, lakes, streams or the sea. — Fig. 052 São Paulo State (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: IBGE

Off the mains, São Paulo’s sewage goes three ways. In 2022, 569,000 households used a septic tank, 455,000 a rudimentary pit or hole, and 385,000 discharged into a ditch, river, lake, stream, the sea or elsewhere. The map colours each census tract by where most of its households send their sewage. The mains lead in only 11% of the area, but 93% of households live there; rudimentary pits lead in 56% of the area and septic tanks in 33%, in a mosaic that covers the interior. Sewage discharged into rivers, lakes, streams or the sea is urban: of the 307,000 households doing so, 124,000 are in the capital and three quarters of the rest in the São Paulo intermediate region. Second plate of the collection “Sanitation and biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

setores polygon 103,319 census tracts: households by sewage destination and leading destination (same GPKG as plate 051)
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: IBGE — 2022 Population Census: household characteristics by census tract (2022)
IBGE — SIDRA, table 6805: households by type of sewage disposal (2022)
IBGE — 2022 Census Tract Mesh (2022)
Extent: São Paulo State (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Node.js · d3-geo · QGIS
Method: Where the sewage of most occupied permanent private households in each census tract goes, in five groups; a group wins only when its minimum exceeds every other group’s maximum, counting withheld values as 1 or 2.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23540120

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Para onde vai o esgoto: rede na cidade, fossa no campo, rio na beira [Where the sewage goes: Mains in town, pits in the country, rivers at the edge] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23540120

@dataset{cerejo2026_destino_do_esgoto_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {Para onde vai o esgoto: Rede na cidade, fossa no campo, rio na beira},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23540120},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23540120},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: Where the sewage goes: Mains in town, pits in the country, rivers at the edge. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

No. 053 Census · income Sanitation and biomethane 3/4

Rubbish outside collection

Where the truck does not pass, rubbish burns

Map of São Paulo state with census tracts coloured by the share of households that burn or bury their rubbish, dump it on vacant land or dispose of it otherwise, in 2022, in five classes from cream (up to 1%) to dark brown (over 50%), and light grey where everyone has collection. The rural interior is brown, darker in the west and the Pontal do Paranapanema; the towns and Greater São Paulo are pale. Tracts whose class is withheld are hatched. A callout points to Marabá Paulista, with 46% of households without collection. In the panel, each class has a bar with its share of the state’s households, and bars show what happens to uncollected rubbish: burnt, other, vacant land and buried. — Fig. 053 São Paulo State (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: IBGE

Nearly all of São Paulo’s rubbish is collected: in 2022, only 0.99% of households, 160,000, disposed of it otherwise. But that 1% is not spread out. It is in the countryside, where the truck does not reach, and the most common destination is fire: 110,000 households burnt their rubbish on the property. Painted tract by tract, the map shows the state inside out: the towns are pale, with collection for everyone, and the rural interior darkens. In 1,734 tracts, more than half the households had no collection. Marabá Paulista, in the Pontal do Paranapanema, has the largest share of its households outside collection (46%); the capital has the largest number (12,094). Rubbish that is not collected does not reach a landfill or a digester either. Third plate of the collection “Sanitation and biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

setores polygon 103,319 census tracts: households by rubbish destination and uncollected-rubbish class (same GPKG as plate 051)
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: IBGE — 2022 Population Census: household characteristics by census tract (2022)
IBGE — SIDRA, table 6892: households by rubbish destination (2022)
IBGE — 2022 Census Tract Mesh (2022)
Extent: São Paulo State (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Node.js · d3-geo · QGIS
Method: Share of each census tract’s occupied permanent private households that burn or bury their rubbish, dump it on vacant land, slopes or public areas, or dispose of it otherwise, in five classes and zero; tracts with withheld values get a class only when it does not depend on the omitted value.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23540155

Downloads

Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

With basemap (PNG) Without basemap (PNG) QR code (SVG)

Point a camera at it to open this page.

How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Lixo fora da coleta: onde o caminhão não passa, o lixo queima [Rubbish outside collection: Where the truck does not pass, rubbish burns] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23540155

@dataset{cerejo2026_lixo_fora_da_coleta_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {Lixo fora da coleta: Onde o caminhão não passa, o lixo queima},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23540155},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23540155},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: Rubbish outside collection: Where the truck does not pass, rubbish burns. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

No. 054 Energy · biomass Sanitation and biomethane 4/4

Sewage, mains and biomethane

Sludge gas only exists where sewage reaches the plant

Plate with three municipal maps of São Paulo. The first shows the share of households off the sewage mains in 2022, from grey (zero) to dark brown (over 50%): the Ribeira Valley, the coast and the surroundings of the capital are dark; the north of the state is pale. The second shows biomethane from sewage sludge in m³ per day, in shades of teal, present in only 128 municipalities, with the capital adding up to 51%. The third shows four groups: dark blue for mains above 90% with sludge, light blue for mains above 90% without sludge, ochre for mains below 90% with sludge and clay red for mains below 90% without sludge, which covers the south and the west. In the panel, bars show the six municipalities with the most sludge biomethane and the population of each group. — Fig. 054 São Paulo State (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: IBGE, CP2B (Unicamp)

Sludge from sewage plants becomes biomethane, but only where sewage is collected and treated at a plant suited to digestion. Under the CP2B method, that gives São Paulo 121,000 m³ of biomethane a day, in only 128 of its 645 municipalities, and the capital accounts for 51%. Beside it, the 2022 Census: 349 municipalities still have fewer than 90% of households on the mains, the target of the sanitation legal framework for 2033. The crossing separates four groups. 77 municipalities, with 28.2 million people, already pass the target and have sludge; 297, with 4.36 million, are below the target and have no sludge at all, and add up to 437,000 households off the mains. Bringing the mains to those places is the condition for their sewage to count towards the gas. Last plate of the collection “Sanitation and biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

municipios polygon 645 municipalities: people, households, sewage off the mains, uncollected rubbish, biomethane from sludge and rubbish, and crossing group
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: IBGE — SIDRA, table 6805: households by type of sewage disposal (2022 Census) (2022)
IBGE — SIDRA, table 6892: households by rubbish destination (2022 Census) (2022)
CP2B (Unicamp) — biogas and biomethane potential by municipality, method v5.1 (2026)
IBGE — Municipal Mesh 2025 (2025)
Extent: São Paulo State (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Node.js · d3-geo · QGIS
Method: Share of households off the sewage mains (SIDRA 6805) and biomethane from sewage sludge under the CP2B v5.1 method, level N4 (accessible), reference scenario, by municipality; municipalities are crossed by the 90% mains target and by whether the potential includes sludge.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: being registered on Zenodo

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Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

With basemap (PNG) Without basemap (PNG) QR code (SVG)

Point a camera at it to open this page.

How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Esgoto, rede e biometano: o gás do lodo só existe onde o esgoto chega à estação [Sewage, mains and biomethane: Sludge gas only exists where sewage reaches the plant] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Essencial. https://aikiesan.github.io/essencial-geo/en/maps/054-saneamento-e-biometano-sp/

@dataset{cerejo2026_saneamento_e_biometano_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {Esgoto, rede e biometano: O gás do lodo só existe onde o esgoto chega à estação},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Essencial},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  url       = {https://aikiesan.github.io/essencial-geo/en/maps/054-saneamento-e-biometano-sp/},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: Sewage, mains and biomethane: Sludge gas only exists where sewage reaches the plant. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

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