Sustainable Societies

Waste

As populations swell and increasingly live in urban environments, pressure on waste management services grows as available land decreases, bringing many cities close to a crisis situation. The inefficient or inappropriate disposal of waste is devastating the environment and human health. Hazardous waste has increased and is not specially treated, resulting in the contamination of land and groundwater, radiation exposure, injury, death, and various so-far uncertain costs. Many discharges of hazardous materials occur illegally. Industry, one of the major contributors to hazardous waste problems, tends to view compliance with waste control regulations as an obligation to be met only to the smallest possible extent. The leading and most common industries associated with hazardous substances are those producing agro- chemicals (pesticides), building materials, leather, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products, pulp, paper, and textiles. Meanwhile, landfill gases are contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and many incinerators are not operated optimally for safely breaking down hazardous waste. Waste collection is often inefficient and the challenges of minimizing waste, as well as reusing and recycling materials, have yet to be appropriately addressed in many communities worldwide.