urban waste Flashcards
domestic waste
households
food, paper, glass, plastic
municipal waste
from municipal activities e.g. street cleaning
dead animals, abandoned vehicles
commercial waste
offices, retail, restaurants
food, paper, glass, plastic
institutional waste
schools, hospitals, airports
food, paper, glass, plastic (also includes sharps and hazardous)
bulky waste
homes, schools, offices
white goods (fridges etc) - requires special attention
industrial waste
light and heavy manufacturing
food, paper, plastic, glass, hazardous, ashes
construction waste
construction sites
wood, steel, concrete, brick
urban services waste
street cleaning and landscapes
tree trimmings, general waste from parks etc
why does waste globally increase by 7% every year?
population increase
economic development - greater personal wealth- increased consumption of goods + this leads to more waste
increased urbanisation - more municipal waste
what is a waste stream?
complete flow of waste from its domestic, commercial or industrial source, through recovery, recycling or final disposal
how may a waste stream vary in HICs/LICs?
HICs: completely regulated and managed
LICs/NEEs: improper dumping of waste causes serious environmental issues —>
• air pollution
• contamination
• risk to human health
• loss of recyclables
• loss of potential resources
waste components in HICs/LICs
$ -
HICs:
• high disposable incomes - people buy more - more packaging- more products/packaging to be disposed of
NEEs/LICs:
• people are poorer on the whole - fewer products consumed/thrown away - less waste generated overall
Lifestyle-
HICs:
• high disposable income = throw away society - don’t use things till end of their lifespan = more waste
NEEs/LICs:
• reuse waste/sell reusable waste for money
Attitudes-
HICs:
• more concern with fashion than environment ?
• more consumed and thrown away?
• increasing concern for environment = more people engaging in recycling
NEEs/LICs:
• more positive attitudes to reusing waste - see value in everything
• lack of awareness of environmental impact of waste disposal
waste streams in HICs/LICs
$ -
HICs:
• regulated
• lots of money invested - organised systems e.g. GMCA
NEEs/LICs:
• cost of collecting + treating waste are high
• solid waste management can account for up to 50% of budgets (single largest item) but a very small % of actual waste collection and management
Lifestyle-
HICs:
• busy lifestyles = don’t recycle as much as we should - could do better
NEEs/LICs:
• reuse waste/sell reusable waste for money
Attitudes-
HICs:
• legislation + targets related to dumping, landfill, incineration + recycling are strict and continually reviewed
• landfill sites are well protected, engineered and away from built up areas
• sealed + monitored subsequently
NEEs/LICs:
• more positive attitudes to reusing / recycling waste
what is the global waste trade?
the international trade of rate between countries for its disposal, recycling or further treatment
trade is predominantly from HICs to NEEs/ LICs — an exception is the THORP reprocessing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria - imports used nuclear fuel rods to extract reusable uranium and plutonium
effects of the global waste trade
NEEs/LICs - become toxic dumps for hazardous waste
negative health effects (especially in LICs) - don’t have safe recycling processes/ facilities - workers often process toxic waste with their bare hands - can lead to illness and death
heavy metals, toxins, chemicals leaks from these disregarded products into water ways + groundwater poisoning local people - workers in the dumps/children search for items to sell- exposes them to dangerous health risks
hazardous waste is not properly disposed of / treated - poisons natural environment with disastrous consequences on ecosystems
e.g. 50million tonnes of e-waste are produced each year + shipped from USA and Europe to Asia and Africa to be processed and recycled
