Urban Waste And Its Disposal Flashcards
Why is the amount of waste produced in cities increasing?
Urbanisation -> affluence (wealth), industrialisation
Why is urban waste particularly a concern for LICs?
They may not have the resources to deal with the waste
Name the different sources of waste
Residential Industrial Commercial Construction + demolition Urban services Institutional
What is residential waste? Give examples
Waste produced in households.
Eg food, plastics, paper, metals, electronics, ashes.
What is industrial waste? Give examples
Waste produced by eg manufacturing, power / chemical plants.
Eg packaging, construction / demolition materials, hazardous industrial waste.
What is commercial waste? Give examples
Waste produced by businesses - eg shops, hotels, restaurants, markets, office buildings.
Eg paper, plastics, food, glass, metals, e-waste.
What is construction + demolition waste? Give examples
Waste produced by new construction sites, road repair, renovation sites, demolition of buildings.
Eg wood, steel, concrete, dirt, bricks, tiles
What is urban services waste? Give examples
Waste produced by services eg street cleaning, landscaping, parks, beaches, recreational areas, water, waste water treatment plants.
Eg street sweepings, landscape / tree trimmings, general waste from parks / beaches, sludge.
What is institutional waste? Give examples
Waste produced by institutions eg schools, hospitals, prisons, government buildings, airports.
Eg paper, plastics, food, glass,metals, e-wastes
Name some of the main waste items
Food Paper Plastics Glass Metals E-waste
What factors affect the composition of waste?
Level of economic development. Cultural norms. Geographical location. Energy sources. Climate.
Give some effects of urban waste
- Waste accounts for 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
- Treating waste is expensive -> LICs can use 20-50% of their budget.
- Untreated / uncollected waste -> health problems eg breathing problems.
- Lack of landfill space -> dumping of waste by roads, rivers, bridges -> civil unrest.
By what percentage is the amount of urban waste increasing each year?
7%
How much waste are lower middle countries predicted to generate by 2025?
956 million tonnes each year
Mining and quarrying accounts for what percentage of worldwide waste?
23%
Name the strategies used to deal with waste
Landfill
Incineration
Recycling
Trade
What are the most common methods of waste disposal in HICs?
Landfill / incineration
How do LICs tend to deal with their waste?
Open dumps
-> unregulated -> not controlled / supervised by regulation of law.
What is the issue that comes with solid waste that hasn’t been properly disposed of?
Breeding ground for insects, vermin, scavenging animals
-> pass on air / water borne diseases.
What are the environmental threats associated with urban waste?
Contamination of groundwater / surface water.
Air pollution -> burning of waste that isn’t properly collected and disposed of.
What is recycling and why is it used?
Materials are processed into new products.
Significantly save energy -> 95% saving by recycling aluminium.
Give the impacts caused by recycling
- Large global market for recyclables.
- Reduces the quantities of disposed waste.
- Return of materials to the economy.
- Can contribute to greenhouse gases.
What is trade as a method of waste disposal?
Global waste trade - the movement of waste between countries for treatment, disposal, recycling.
What system controls movement of hazardous waste as part of the global waste trade?
The Basel Convention
