The purpose of this thesis is to present a comparative study between the favela of Rocinha - Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Siloé (Comuna 20) in Cali, Colombia. The proposal was to analyze the process of destination of the urban solid waste generated in the two places and their forms of treatment, considering the local reality and culture, but seeking to give relevance to the differences and similarities of each locus. The methodological path that anchored the study was supported by documentary and bibliographic research, which allowed us to expand knowledge about the legislation, as well as in several regulations, academic articles and other documents, aiming to understand how waste management is regulated in both countries. The field research, on the other hand, was anchored in the qualitative methodological structure, carried out through direct observation in the fields of study, which provided us with both the reach of the non-explicit information in the interview statements, and guaranteed us to experience both realities, the habits, customs and cultural, political and social differences of each group involved in the research. And the interviews were of the semi-structured type, carried out in both locations, which allowed us to listen to several subjects involved in the process of treatment, management and disposal of waste in both areas, namely: representatives of urban cleaning companies, representatives of commercial establishments, residents, organizations of collectors / recyclers of recyclable and reusable materials, and collectors / recyclers, aiming to understand what is the vision of each agent in relation to the generation and proper disposal of solid urban waste in their localities. The systematization of the data, combined with the information collected in conversations and from the experience in the places, allowed us to conclude that the waste policy, both Brazilian and Colombian, brought socio-environmental improvements to the localities, however, there is still much to be done in the perspective equal promotion of the provision of services in the socioenvironmental area, mainly in the issue of generation, treatment and proper disposal of waste. We believe that the thesis may also support new studies both in Brazil and in Colombia on the subject.