Waste Management

Waste Reduction

The design, manufacture, purchase, and use of materials and products are analyzed to eliminate waste or to reduce the amount or toxicity of the waste. Waste reduction is generally preferred over reuse and recycle because it is proactive, which minimizes wasteful purchases and use.

Waste Recovery

Material and organic wastes are recovered by separation processes and prepared for recycling and composting at material recovery plants. More waste materials are becoming increasingly recyclable with the development of new technologies and markets. Recovered organic waste consisting of food scraps and yard debris can be composted.

Waste Disposal

Landfills and incineration provide two of the most widely used methods of disposal, largely due to their low cost. The danger landfills pose to the environment led to the development and greater integration of incineration methods, as well as other methods, such as energy recovery (where waste provides a fuel source for various activities), which are growing in popularity. Unfortunately, reduction and recovery of all waste is not currently possible. There will always be some waste left for disposal.

Municipal Waste Generation Varies among Countries

Waste generation is generally higher for developed countries. In 2003, for instance, the United States led all countries generating municipal waste by producing 236 metric tons (M tons), which is almost 1 ton per capita per year or about 2.0 kilogram per capita per day. With a lifestyle that includes excess packaging and reliance on nondurable goods, the United States has been called “the throwaway society.” Following the United States in waste generation per capita per day in 2003 were Canada (1.7 kg) and the Netherlands (1.4 kg). Of the developed countries, Germany and Sweden produced the least waste per capita per day at less than 0.9 kilogram (Withgott & Brennan, 2008). This difference is primarily due to their high cost of waste disposal, which can serve as an incentive to reduce waste generation.

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