Urban waste and its disposal

• what happens to the amount of waste as urbanisation increases?

  the amount of waste produced in cities due to affluence and industrialisation is increasing
• why are LICs a concern in terms of waste?

  they may not have the resources to deal with the waste
• INDUSTRIAL WASTE - what is it?


  any waste that has been produced in the manufacturing process or from industrial activity
• INDUSTRIAL WASTE - examples


  scrap metal, solvents and chemicals which can be toxic or corrosive
• COMMERCIAL WASTE - what is it?

  any waste that has been produced by businesses
• COMMERCIAL WASTE - examples

  plastic, paper, cardboard, grass and metals
• PERSONAL WASTE - what is it?

  any waste produced by private homes
• PERSONAL WASTE - examples

  plastic bottles, food packaging, newspaper and food waste
• CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION - examples

  wood, steel, concrete, bricks and tiles
• what is a waste stream?


  the flow of waste from its origin through to its eventual disposal
• DISPOSAL OF WASTE - recycled


  paper and glass can be recycled
• DISPOSAL OF WASTE - what needs to be done?

  needs to be broken down into their component parts and each part disposed of separately
• ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE STREAMS - what type of country produces more waste?

  developed countries produce more waste than developing countries. developed produce 2.1kg per person per day Vs developing produce 0.6kg per person per day
• ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE STREAMS - what do the components of waste vary on?

  on the development of the country. The richer consumer more and recycle more and LICs sell waste to make a living
• ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE STREAMS - what are the largest components of waste in developed countries? (p,om,p)

  paper (31%), organic matter and plastic
• ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE STREAMS - what are the largest components of waste in developing countries? (om,p,p)

  organic matter (64%), plastic, paper
• ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE STREAMS - do most developing countries not have?

  don't have formal recycling systems, but many people collect recyclable goods from land fill and sell them to make a living
• LIFESTYLES - what does the amount and type of waste produced depend on?


  on whether people live in the city or country as urban dwellers produce more waste than rural residents
• LIFESTYLES - what type of waste do people in rural areas produce more?


  organic waste such as food
• LIFESTYLES - what type of waste do people in urban areas produce more?


  manufactured waste such as plastic and glass
• LIFESTYLES - what affects the waste streams people use?

  the facilities available to people
• LIFESTYLES - how can diet affect waste components and streams?

  producing processes food creates waste as finished products tend to come in lots of packaging but fruit and veg produce more compostable waste
• ATTITUDES - what culture do many developed countries have?

  'throw away culture and mass consumerism
• ATTITUDES - why does the attitudes of developed countries result in an increase of waste?

  much of the waste cannot be recycled or has a long and complex waste stream
• ATTITUDES - what will increasing levels concerns about health lead to?


  people to throw away food that is near or just past its sell by date therefore increasing food waste
• ATTITUDES - concerns about the environment


  people who are concerned about the environmental impacts of excess waste will reuse/recycle more
• MANAGING WASTE (UNREGULATED ) - what is it?

  waste is dumped in places that aren't official disposal sites
• MANAGING WASTE (UNREGULATED ) - what happens to waste that isn't properly disposed of?

  it can damage ecosystems
• MANAGING WASTE (RECYCLING ) - what is it?

  waste is reprocessed into new products
• MANAGING WASTE (RECYCLING ) - what does recycling reduce?

  reduces the demand for raw materials which decreases the environmental impacts of resource extraction such as deforestation
• MANAGING WASTE (RECYCLING ) - what does producing recycled products use?

  less energy than making them from scratch so less GHG are emitted
• MANAGING WASTE (RECYCLING ) - what does recycling require?

  separate collection and the construction of new facilities to process waste which contributes to GHG and air pollution
• MANAGING WASTE (INCINERATION) - what is it?

  when waste is burnt
• MANAGING WASTE (INCINERATION) - what does it reduce?

  the amount of waste going to landfill but it emits GHG and causes air pollution
• MANAGING WASTE (INCINERATION) - what is energy recovery?

  when burnt waste generates electricity
• MANAGING WASTE (INCINERATION) - what does energy recovery reduce?

  reduces fossil fuel use but can release toxic chemicals in air or water
• MANAGING WASTE (RECOVERY) - what is it?

  involves using waste instead of new products
• MANAGING WASTE (RECOVERY) - what does this reduce?

  the amount of waste send to landfill and means fewer natural resources are exploited
• MANAGING WASTE (LANDFILL) - what is it?

  waste is placed in disused mines, quarries or landfill sites
• MANAGING WASTE (LANDFILL) - what are sites lined with?


  clay or plastic to prevent leaching of chemicals into the environment