Waste (also referred to as rubbish,
trashTrash may refer to:In garbage:* Trash , unwanted or undesired waste material* Trash can, a containerIn computing:* Trash , a way in which operating systems dispose of unwanted files...
,
garbageGarbage may refer to:*Waste, an unwanted or undesired material or substance*Garbage , unreferenced data in a computer's memory*Garbage , a rock musical ensemble**Garbage , the band's debut album...
, or
junkJunk may refer to:*Waste, any undesired thing or substance**Scrap, recyclable waste used to build new things*Junk Slang and lingo:*Junk DNA, DNA without a known function for the organism*Junk food, food with little or no nutritional value...
) is unwanted or unusable material.
In living organisms, waste is the unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from them. More commonly, waste refers to the materials that are disposed of in a system of
waste managementWaste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is...
.
Waste is directly linked to human development, both technologically and socially. The composition of different wastes have varied over time and location, with industrial development and innovation being directly linked to waste materials. Examples of this include plastics and nuclear technology. Some components of waste have economical value and can be
recycledRecycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower...
once correctly recovered.
Waste is sometimes a subjective concept, because items that some people discard may have value to others. It is widely recognised that waste materials are a valuable resource, whilst there is debate as to how this value is best realised.
There are many
waste types*Animal by-products*Biodegradable waste*Biomedical waste*Bulky waste*Business waste*Chemical waste*Clinical waste*Coffee wastewater*Commercial waste*Construction and demolition waste *Controlled waste*Composite waste*Demolition waste...
defined by modern systems of
waste managementWaste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is...
, notably including:
- municipal solid waste
Municipal solid waste , also called urban solid waste, is a waste type that includes predominantly household waste with sometimes the addition of commercial wastes collected by a municipality within a given area. They are in either solid or semisolid form and generally exclude industrial hazardous...
(MSW)
- construction waste and demolition waste
Demolition waste is waste debris from destruction of a building. The debris varies from insulation, nais, electrical wiring, rebar, wood, concrete, and bricks. It also may contain lead, asbestos or different hazardous materials....
(C&D)
- institutional waste, commercial waste
Commercial waste consists of waste from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade or business or for the purpose of sport, recreation, education or entertainment but not including household; agricultural or industrial waste .-See also:...
, and industrial wasteIndustrial waste is a type of waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills and mines. It has existed since the outset of the industrial revolution....
(IC&I)
- medical waste
Medical waste, also known as clinical waste, normally refers to waste products that cannot be considered general waste, produced from healthcare premises, such as hospitals, clinics, doctors offices, labs and nursing homes.-Europe:...
(also known as clinical waste)
- hazardous waste
A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment and generally exhibits one or more of these characteristics:* carcinogenic*ignitable *oxidant*corrosive*toxic*radioactive...
, radioactive wasteRadioactive waste is a waste product containing radioactive material. It is usually the product of a nuclear process such as nuclear fission. However, industries not directly connected to the nuclear industry may produce quantities of radioactive waste. The majority of radioactive waste is...
, and electronic wasteElectronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment describes loosely discarded, surplus, obsolete, broken, electrical or electronic devices...
- biodegradable waste
Biodegradable waste is a type of waste, typically originating from plant or animal sources, which may be broken down by other living organisms. Waste that cannot be broken down by other living organisms may be called non-biodegradable....
Definitions
Governments, organizations, and scholars need to define what waste is so it can be safely and legally managed. Different definitions need to be combined in order to ensure the safe and legal disposal of waste..
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
According to the
Basel ConventionThe Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known simply as the Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of...
:
"Substances or objects which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of national law" (Basel Convention).
Produced by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD):
"Wastes are materials that are not prime products (that is products produced for the market) for which the generator has no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of production, transformation or consumption, and of which he/she wants to dispose. Wastes may be generated during the extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw materials into intermediate and final products, the consumption of final products, and other human activities. Residuals recycled or reused at the place of generation are excluded."
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
"Waste refers to materials that are not prime products (that is, products produced for the market) for which the generator has no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of production, transformation or consumption, and of which he/she wants to dispose." .
European Union (EU)
The
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
defines waste as an object the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard is waste under the Waste Framework Directive (European Directive 75/442/EC as amended).
Once a substance or object has become waste, it will remain waste until it has been fully recovered and no longer poses a potential threat to the environment or to human health."'
The UK's Environmental Protection Act 1990 indicated waste includes any substance which constitutes a
scrapScrap is a term used to describe recyclable materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Often confused with waste, scrap in fact has significant monetary value...
material, an effluent or other unwanted surplus arising from the application of any process or any substance or article which requires to be disposed of which has been broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled; this is supplemented with anything which is discarded otherwise dealt with as if it were waste shall be presumed to be waste unless the contrary is proved. This definition was amended by the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 defining waste as:
"any substance or object which the producer or the person in possession of it, discards or intends or is required to discard but with exception of anything excluded from the scope of the Waste Directive"
.
The European Union has started a discussion that will end in an End-of-Waste directive which will clarify the distinction between waste — that shall be treated for disposal — and raw materials that can be reused for the same or other purposes .
Scholars
Proposed definitions by Pongrácz and Pohjola (2004)
-
Non-wanted things created, not intended, or not avoided, with no Purpose.
Things that were given a finite Purpose thus destined to become useless after fulfilling it.
Things with well-defined Purpose, but their Performance ceased being acceptable
Things with well-defined Purpose, and acceptable Performance, but their users failed to use them for the intended Purpose.
Reporting
There are many issues that surround reporting waste. It is most commonly measured by size or weight, and there is a stark difference between the two. For example, organic waste is much heavier when it is wet, and plastic or glass bottles can have different weights but be the same size. On a global scale it is difficult to report waste because countries have different definitions of waste and what falls into waste categories, as well as different ways of reporting. Based on incomplete reports from its parties, the
Basel ConventionThe Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known simply as the Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of...
estimated 338 million tonnes of waste was generated in 2001. For the same year, OCED estimated 4 billion tonnes from its member countries. Despite these inconsistencies, waste reporting is still useful on a small and large scale to determine key causes and locations, and to find ways of preventing, minimizing, recovering, treating, and disposing waste.
Environmental Costs
Waste can attract rodents and insects which cause gastrointestinal parasites, yellow fever, worms, the plague and other conditions for humans. Exposure to hazardous wastes, particularly when they are burned, can cause various other diseases including cancers. Waste can contaminate surface water, groundwater, soil, and air which causes more problems from humans, other species, and ecosystems. Waste treatment and disposal produces significant green house gas (GHG) emissions, notably methane, which are contributing significantly to global climate change.
Social Costs
Waste management is a significant
environmental justiceEnvironmental justice refers to inequitable environmental burdens borne by groups such as racial minorities, women, residents of economically disadvantaged areas, or residents of developing nations...
issue. Many of the environmental burdens cited above are more often borne by marginalized groups, such as racial minorities, women, and residents of developing nations.
NIMBYNIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for Not In My Back Yard. The term is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies...
(not-in-my-back-yard) is a popular term used to describes the opposition of residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. However, the need for expansion and siting of waste treatment and disposal facilities is increasing worldwide. There is now a growing market in the transboundary movement of waste, and although most waste that flows between countries goes between developed nations, a significant amount of waste is moved from developed to developing nations.
Economic Costs
The economic costs of managing waste are high, and are often paid for by municipal governments. Money can often be saved with more efficiently designed collection routes, modifying vehicles, and with public education. Environmental policies such as
pay as you throwPay as you throw is a usage-pricing model for disposing of municipal solid waste. Users are charged a rate based on how much waste they present for collection to the municipality or local authority.A variety of models exist depending on the region and municipality...
can reduce the cost of management and reduce waste quantities. Waste recovery (that is,
recyclingRecycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower...
,
reuseReuse is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and new-life reuse where it is used for a new function. In contrast, recycling is the breaking down of the used item into raw materials which are used to make new items...
) can curve economic costs because it avoids extracting raw materials and often cuts transportation costs. The location of waste treatment and disposal facilities often has an impact on property values due to noise, dust, pollution, unsightliness, and negative stigma. The informal waste sector comprises mostly of
waste pickerA waste picker, recycler, or a scavenger, is a person who picks out recyclable elements from mixed waste wherever it may be temporarily accessible or disposed of .A person who scavenges for junk, food...
s who scavenge for metals, glass, plastic, textiles, and other materials and then trade them for a profit. This sector can significantly alter or reduce waste in a particular system, but other negative economic effects come with the disease, poverty, exploitation, and abuse of its workers.
Education and awareness
EducationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
and
awarenessAwareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
in the area of waste and
waste managementWaste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is...
is increasingly important from a global perspective of
resource managementIn organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment for an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...
. The
Talloires DeclarationThe Talloires Declaration is a declaration for sustainability, created for and by presidents of institutions of higher learning. Jean Mayer, Tufts University president, convened a conference of 22 universities in 1990 in Talloires, France...
is a declaration for
sustainabilitySustainability, in a broad sense, is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time...
concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental
pollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms . Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy, such as noise, heat, or light...
and
degradationDegradation may refer to;* Biodegradation, the processes by which organic substances are broken down by living organisms* Chemical decomposition, the degradation of chemical compounds* Degradation , by the Violent Femmes...
, and the
depletionDepletion may refer to:*Depletion, an accounting concept*Depletion region, a concept of semiconductor physics*Depletion width, a concept of semiconductor physics*Grain boundary depletion, a mechanism of corrosion*Oil depletion, the declining of oil supply...
of
natural resourcesNatural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
. Local, regional, and global air pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destruction and depletion of forests,
soilSoil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics. It is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and...
, and
waterWater is an ubiquitous chemical substance that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen and is essential for all known forms of life.In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam. Water covers 71%...
; depletion of the
ozone layerThe ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone . This layer absorbs 93-99% of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on earth. Over 91% of the ozone in Earth's atmosphere is present here...
and emission of "green house" gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its
biodiversityBiodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or for the entire Earth. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems...
, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. Several universities have implemented the Talloires Declaration by establishing
environmental managementEnvironmental management is not, as the phrase could suggest, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of interaction by the modern human societies with, and impact upon the environment. The three main issues that affect managers are those involving politics , programs ,...
and waste management programs, e.g. the waste management universityproject.
UniversityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and vocational education are promoted by various organizations, e.g. WAMITAB and Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.
See also
- Waste by country
Waste, unwanted or unusable material, varies in type and quantity in the different countries around the world.-Developed nations:Developed countries produce more waste per capita because they have higher levels of consumption. There are higher proportions of plastics, metals, and paper in the...
- Litter
Litter is waste that people unlawfully dispose of outdoors. It can be packaging or other unwanted items. Litter can be vandalism, carelessness, or inadvertence. Litter is a form of visual pollution. It can harm health, safety, and welfare...
- Fly-tipping
Fly-tipping is a British term for illegally dumping waste somewhere else than in an authorised landfill...
- Environmental dumping
Environmental dumping is the practice of transfrontier shipment of waste from one country to another. The goal is to take the waste to a country that has less strict environmental laws, or environmental laws that are not strictly enforced...
- waste collection
Waste collection is the component of waste management which results in the passage of a waste material from the source of production to either the point of treatment or final disposal...
- Waste collection vehicle
A waste collection vehicle , or colloquially called a 'Garbage Truck', 'Dustcart' or 'Dustbin lorry' is a truck speciallydesigned to pick up smaller quantities of waste and haul it to landfills and other recycling or treatment facilities. They are a common sight in most urban areas...
- Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is...
- Life cycle assessment
A Life Cycle Assessment is the investigation and evaluation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused or necessitated by its existence....
External links