Trends in Urban Waste

• Why is it important for cities to manage their waste sustainably?

  • Waste pollutes the env
  • Waste decreases biodiversity which impacts habitats
  • Waste enters food chains
  • Impacts health > disease, rats
  • Lead to social unrest
  • Push factor
  • Waste management saves money
  • Landfill produces methane
  • 1 tonne of biodegradable waste in landfill produces 500m3 of gases
  • Cities have carrying capacity, only carry certain amount of waste
• Trends in waste generation over time:

  • Year on year waste increases by 7% globally and is impacted by population growth and economic development