Urban waste generation and environmental impacts of approaches to waste disposal

3 broad primary sources of waste in urban areas with details

Industrial waste 

• Any waste that has been produces in the manufacturing process or from industrial activity.  

• It can include scrap metal, solvents and chemicals, which can be toxic and corrosive 

Commercial waste 

• Any waste produced by businesses 

• Often includes paper, food and plastics 

Personal waste 

• Any waste produced by private homes 

the largest component of waste globally

organic material (46%)

waste stream definition

The flow of waste from its origin through to its original disposal

economic characteristics affecting waste and wste streams

• As people get richer, they tend to consume more goods. This means that developed countries tend to produce more waste (10-30 times more in HICs) 

• The components of waste also vary depending on wealth and development. In HICs the main components of waste are paper (31%), organic material (28%) and plastic (11%). In LICs the following components are the largest – organic material (64%), plastic (8%) and paper (5%) 

• Waste streams vary between countries but there is no clear link to wealth. However, most developing countries do not have formal recycling systems, but many people collect recyclable goods from landfill and sell them. 

lifestyles affecting waste and waste streasm

• Urban dwellers produce more waste than rural residents. People in rural areas produce more organic waste , and people in cities produce more manufactured waste. 

• The facilities available to people affect waste streams they use, e.g. people are more likely to recycle waste if facilities are easily accessible and if authorities encourage them to. 

• Diet is likely to affect waste components and streams, e.g. Producing processed food creates waste and it generally comes in lots of packaging. Fruit and vegetables tend to produce more compostable waste 

attitudes affecting waste and waste streams

• Many developed countries have a throw-away culture, e.g. electronics are replaced regularly. This results in high levels of waste, much of which cannot be recycled and has a complex waste stream.  

• Increasing concerns about health may cause people to throw away food that is near its sell-by-date, increasing food waste 

• People who are concerned about the environmental impacts of excess waste are more likely to reduce, reuse and recycle.  

name the 6 methods of waste disposal

• unregulated

• recycling

• incineration

• recovery

• burial (landfill)

• trade

unreguated waste disposal description issues

• Waste is dumped in places that aren't official disposal sites 

• Waste that isn’t properly disposed of can damage ecosystems. Animals and birds can be harmed if they swallow or get trapped in plastic waste 

recycling description and pos +neg

• Waste is reprocessed into new products 

• Reduces the demand for raw materials, which reduces the environmental impacts of resource extraction 

• Producing recycled materials generally uses less energy than production from scratch, reducing the number of greenhouse gases emitted 

• However, recycling requires seperate collections and the construction of new facilities to process waste 

incineration description and pos and neg

• When waste is burned 

• Reduces the amount of waste going to landfill 

• Emits greenhouse gases and causes air pollution 

• The process can be used to produce energy , reducing the use of fossil fuels 

• The leftover products if not properly disposed of can be harmful to environments 

recovery description and pos

• Using waste instead of new products 

• Reduces waste going to landfill and lessens pressure on natural resources 

burial (landfill) description and neg

• Waste is placed in disused mines, quarries or landfill sites 

• Most sites are lined with clay or plastic to prevent chemical spill into the environment, however if this isn’t done properly it can contaminate water or soils.  

• Gases such as methane from the decomposition create air pollution 

trade description and pos ad neg

• Waste can be bought or sold by countries 

• Developed countries may pay developing countries to take their waste 

• However, this only moves the problem, developing countries may not dispose of this waste properly creating local environmental problems.