3.2.3.6 Urban waste and its Disposal

Forms of waste generation

Industrial, commercial, muicipal solid waste

Industrial waste examples

Manufacturing by-products, debris, hazardous chemicals

Commercial waste examples

Retail packaging, food waste, office paper

Municipal solid waste examples

Household food waste, plastics, textiles

Waste components that reflect level of affluence and behaviours

Wealth, economic activity, lifestyle

Differences in wealth waste

HIC has plastics and food waste, LIC organic and biodegradable

Differences in economic activity waste

Serviced based use paper and e waste, manufacturing use industrial waste

Lifestyle differences waste

High consumption cultures have disposable goods and fast fashion, pro envriomental cultures have higher recycling

Approaches to waste disposal with mnemonic (Urban Rubbish Really Is Bad S-Tuff)

Unregulated disposal, Recycling, Recovery, Incineration, Burial, Submergence, Trade

Incineration evaluation

Reduces volume by 90%, Releases toxic by products like Persistent Organic Pollutants which are lethal

Unregulated disposal evaluation

Leachates to contaminate, burning releases harmful particulates, health/biodiversity risk

Recycling evaluation

Conserves natural resources, requires energy and chemicals to recover, ‘down-cycling’ means finite recycling for some materials, contamination diverts some batches back to landfill

Recovery (generate energy from incineration) evaluation

Can convert 99% waste back into energy (AEB plant), filters remove harmful emission, waste ash requires specialist disposal

Burial evaluation

Linings prevent groundwater pollution, unlined landfills can leak mercury into aquifers, take up large areas of space, attract vermin

Submergence evaluation

Banned by international convention but still occurs, severe harm to marine ecosystems through ingestion, waste spreads by global currents

Trade evaluation

Artificially boost recycling rates, avoid landfill cost, LDEs lack regulation exposing locals, Guiyu China become electronic graveyards with heavy metal positioning groundwater

Advantages of strategies for waste management

Reduce extraction of raw materials, Cut gas emissions, improves urban livebaility

Disadvantages of strategies for waste managment

Cost, requires cultural change, Political resistance

Impacts of increasing waste generation (7% plastic waste rise)

Cost of collecting/treating (up to 25% urban budget), Large source of pollution, Health problems like cholera, Authorities struggle to collect (Only 40% collected in Cairo daily), Cities running out of landfill space (Crisis in Beirut from overflowing Naameh)

Amsterdam overview

900,000 high density population, HIC with consumption lifestyles, limited land, strong environmental governance

Incineration at AEB evaluation

Energy to 300,000 homes, process 1.4million tonnes of waste per year, avoids 438 kilotons of co2 annually. Disincentivises recycling and waste reduction, still produces co2, high financial cost (400 million euros)

Landfill in Amsterdam evaluation

Minimal usage for non combustible residue due to landfill bans in 1995 covering 64 categories, 2-3% Dutch Waste. Produces methane, long term contamination and Amsterdam is too land scarce