1.6.1 Urban waste

Question 1

[Types of waste]

Bulky waste

Answer 1

Domestic furniture and “white goods”, commercial packaging and containers, and industrial crates, pallets and metal banding. This waste requires special collection.

Question 2

[Types of waste]

Domestic waste

Answer 2

Ggenerated as a consequence of household activities such as cooking, cleaning, repairs, hobbies and redecoration. This waste is categorised as biodegradable, recyclable or inert.

Question 3

[Types of waste]

Industrial waste

Answer 3

Covers a vast range of substances which are unique to each industry. Major generators of this type of waste include coal, ash from thermal power plants, and slag from iron and steel works.

Question 4

[Types of waste]

Commercial waste

Answer 4

Waste from offices, wholesale and retail stores, restos, hotels, markets etc. this waste is categorised as biodegradable, recyclable or inert.

Question 5

[Types of waste]

Construction and demolition waste

Answer 5

Waste consisting of mainly of earth, stones, concrete, bricks, and timber, roofing and plumbing materials. If this material is not recycled, then it will take up a large amount of space in landfill.

Question 6

[Types of waste]

Institutional waste

Answer 6

Waste that comes from places such as schools, hospitals, universities and includes waste that might be hazardous to public health. All require specialist disposal or incarceration.

Question 7

[Types of waste]

Municipal waste

Answer 7

Waste that comes from activities such as street cleaning, dead animals, markets wastes, abandoned vehicles, etc. This term also includes domestic and commercial waste.

Question 8

[Types of waste]

Animal and vegetable waste

Answer 8

Waste from handling, storing, cooking and serving food. The waste quickly becomes putrid and therefore attracts rats and flies.

Question 9

Waste Hierarchy

Answer 9

Waste management follows a hierarchy. The main target is to reduce the amount of waste produced.

Question 10

Norway’s response to urban waste

Answer 10

Norway’s response to waste management
- Recycling is interlinked with their culture.
- Incentives – people can get paid for recycling glass and plastic.
- Only 31% of plastic bottles are recycled in America, significantly less than in Norway.
- Having an incentive for recycling leads to higher recycling rates.

Question 11

The UK’s response to urban waste

Answer 11

The UK’s response to waste management
- 10p plastic bag charge, to encourage to use of reusable bags.
- Household recycling which is picked up on the streets.
- Encouraging reusable bottles.
- Discouraging the use of single-use plastics. E.g. Reusable metal straws.

Question 12

Methods of waste disposal

Answer 12

• Landfill
• Incineration
• Recycling

Question 13

What is a waste stream?

Answer 13

The flow of waste from its origin through to its disposal

Question 14

What are the largest components of waste?

Answer 14

• Organic material (46%)
• Paper (17%)
• Plastic (10%)
• Glass (5%)

The majority of all waste is easy to manage, but some material is hazardous (e.g. medical waste).

Question 15

How do economic characteristics change waste streams and components?

Answer 15

• As people get richer, they tend to consume more goods. This means that developed countries produce more waste (on average 2.1kg per person per day) than developing countries (on average 0.6kg per person per day).
• The components of waste also vary depending on the development level of the country. In developed countries, the main components are paper (31%), organic material (28%) and plastic (11%). In developing countries, the largest components are organic material (64%), plastic (8%) and paper (5%).
• Diet is likely to affect waste components and streams – e.g. producing processed food creates waste, and finished products tend to come in a lot of packaging. In contrast, food and vegetables tend to produce more compostable waste (e.g. vegetable peelings) and less packaging.

Question 16

How do lifestyles change waste streams and components?

Answer 16

• The amount and type of waste produced depends on whether people live in the city or the country – urban dwellers tend to produce more waste than rural residents. People in rural areas produce more organic waste (e.g. food) whereas people in cities produce more manufactured waste (e.g. plastic, glass).
• The facilities available to people affect the waste streams they use – for example, people are more likely to recycle waste if recycling 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 finished products tend to come in a lot of packaging. In contrast, food and vegetables tend to produce more compostable waste (e.g. vegetable peelings) and less packaging.

Question 17

How do attitudes change waste streams and components?

Answer 17

• Many developed countries have a throw-away culture – e.g. electronics are replaced regularly, and fast fashion. This results in high levels of waste, much of which cannot be recycled or has a long and complex waste stream.
• Increasing concerns about health may cause people to throw away food that is near or just past its sell-by date, resulting in high levels of food waste.
• People have different attitudes towards the environment – people who are concerned about the environmental impacts of excess waste are more likely to reuse or recycle waste.
• In some groups, there has been a recent move towards a decrease in consumption and waste.

Question 18

Methods used to manage urban waste

Answer 18

• Unregulated
• Recycling
• Incineration
• Recovery
• Landfill
• Submergence
• Trade

Question 19

[Management of urban waste]

What is submergence?

Answer 19

Disposing of waste by dumping it in oceans. This is illegal, but it is still common in some areas, e.g. off the coast of Somalia. Submerged waste can release toxic or radioactive substances, damaging ocean ecosystems.

Question 20

[Management of urban waste]

What is landfill?

Answer 20

Waste is placed in disused mines, quarries or landfill sites. Many sites are lined with clay or plastic to prevent leaching of chemicals into the environment, but if sites are not properly regulated, hazardous chemicals can contaminate groundwater, while gases such as methane from decomposing waste cause air pollution.
Some countries collect gases for energy production, reducing air pollution and fossil fuel use.

Question 21

[Management of urban waste]

What is waste recovery?

Answer 21

This involves using waste instead of new products, e.g. waste concrete can be crushed and used as a base for new roads and buildings. This reduces the amount of waste being sent to landfill and means that fewer natural resources are exploited because goods are reused.

Question 22

[Management of urban waste]

What is unregulated waste disposal?

Answer 22

Waste is dumped in places that aren’t official disposal sites – e.g. solid waste is left on the street, or untreated liquid waste enters waste courses.
Waste that isn’t properly disposal of can damage ecosystems, e.g. if chemicals from it enter the environment. Animals and birds can be harmed if they swallow or get tangled in plastic.

Question 23

[Management of urban waste]

What is recycling?

Answer 23

Waste is reprocessed into new products, e.g. plastic bottles can be turned into fleece jumpers. Recycling reduces demand for raw materials, which decreases the environmental impacts of resources extraction, e.g. deforestation.
Producing recycled products generally use less energy than making them from scratch, so less greenhouse gases, such as CO2 are emitted.
However, recycling requires separate collections and the construction of new facilities to process waste – these contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

Question 24

[Management of urban waste]

What is incineration?

Answer 24

This is when waste is burnt.
It reduces the amount of waste going to landfill, but it emits greenhouse gases and causes air pollution. Waste that is burnt can be used to generate electricity – this is called energy recovery.
This reduces use of fossil fuels, but burning some waste can release toxic chemicals into the air or water.

Question 25

What is the impact of increasing waste pollution in LICs?

Answer 25

• In LICs, waste disposal is the most expensive budgetary item, spending 20-50% on waste management,
• Waste produces methane which is a powerful greenhouse gas and also causes ground, water and air pollution.
• LICs struggle to collect it. In Cairo, most waste is dumped into the desert. This is because they had poor infrastructure and too much waste to handle.
• Untreated and uncollected waste can lead to health problems.
• Cities are running out of space for landfill.
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Question 26

[Management of urban waste]

What is the Global Waste Trade?

Answer 26

The international trade of waste between countries for its disposal, recycling or further treatment.

Question 27

What are the problems with the global waste trade?

Answer 27

• People in countries that produce little/no toxic waste suffer the negative health effects.
• NEEs and LICs don’t always have safe recycling processes or facilities and many workers have to process the toxic waste with their bare hands.
• If not disposed of correctly, hazardous waste can cause harmful health effects.

Question 28

Advantages and disadvantages of urban waste disposal

Answer 28

Question 29

Case studies for waste management

Answer 29

• Dharavi (in Mumbai)
• Amsterdam

Question 30

What % of waste in Dharavi is recycled?

Answer 30

80%

This is compared to only 23% in the UK.

Question 31

What is the main scheme used by the Dutch government to manage waste?

Answer 31

Afval Energie Bedrijf (AEB) incineration plant - this plant works to convert waste to energy.

Question 32

What is the main aim of the Dutch government regarding wate management?

Answer 32

Waste reduction