Varón Jiménez, Lina María2011-07-122011-10-142011-07-122011-10-1420101909-0455http://hdl.handle.net/10567/91Introduction. The optimization of household solid waste management has been faced nationally and regionally by departing from several policies, from technical research works to education campaigns. These policies, though, have been useless in many cases, especially due to the evident relation between household solid waste management and aspects such as population increases, the consumption culture, the high cost of selective collection and the lack of environmental consciousness among citizens. The latter aspect has, among its causes, restrictions that discourage and prevent citizens from practicing or effectively achieve a conduct oriented to an appropriate management of solid waste, especially at homes. It is precisely at this point where architecture can contribute with significant elements, by means of designing homes that can make environmentally friendly behaviors much easier. Objective. To establish a new analysis about the household solid waste management´s optimization from housing design. Materials and methods. The current environmental law for solid waste was analyzed, and so were the specific planning regulations from Medellín. Results. Although the specific planning regulations from Medellín determine some actions favoring household solid waste´s management, they leave some empty spaces that can cause a reduction in the efficiency of such management. Conclusions. It is necessary to propose technical aspects to design spaces that can be helpful to manage solid waste in residential buildings.esCorporación Universitaria LasallistaÁrea Metropolitana del Valle de AburráResiduos sólidosContaminaciónMunicipio de MedellínGestión de residuos sólidos domiciliariosContaminación ambientalArticle