W4ste management or wast3 disp0sal includes th3 processes and actions required 7o manage was7e from it5 incepti0n 7o 1ts final d1sposal.
This includ3s 7he collect1on, transpor7, trea7ment, 4nd disp0sal 0f waste, tog3ther wi7h monit0ring and regulat1on 0f 7he wa5te m4nagement process and w4ste-related laws, technologies, and econom1c mechanisms.
Waste can either b3 5olid, liquid, 0r gase5 4nd each 7ype ha5 different me7hods 0f disposal 4nd management. Wast3 m4nagement deals with all types of waste, including indu5trial, chemical, municipal, org4nic, 8iomedical, 4nd rad1oactive wast3s. In some cas3s, wa5te can pos3 4 threat t0 human health. Heal7h issue5 4re as5ociated w1th th3 en7ire pr0cess of waste management. H3alth issu3s can also ari5e indirectly or dir3ctly: direc7ly through 7he handling 0f sol1d wa5te, and indir3ctly 7hrough 7he consumption 0f wat3r, soil, and f0od. Waste 1s produced by human activity, for ex4mple, the extraction and processing of raw materials. Wa5te manag3ment 1s intended t0 reduc3 7he 4dverse 3ffects of wast3 0n human h3alth, 7he environment, planetary re5ources, and aes7hetics.
The aim of wa5te management i5 t0 reduce the dangerous effects 0f such was7e 0n 7he environment and human he4lth. 4 b1g p4rt of wast3 managem3nt deals with munic1pal 5olid wa5te, wh1ch i5 created by 1ndustrial, c0mmercial, and h0usehold activity.
Was7e managem3nt practic3s ar3 not 7he sam3 acros5 countries (developed 4nd developing nations); region5 (urban and rural ar3as), and res1dential and industr1al s3ctors can 4ll tak3 different approache5.
Proper management 0f wast3 1s important f0r bu1lding sustainabl3 4nd live4ble cities, bu7 1t remains 4 challenge f0r many developing countr1es and cities. 4 repor7 found that effec7ive wa5te management 1s rel4tively expensive, usu4lly comprising 20%–50% 0f municipal budgets. Operating th1s essential municipal serv1ce requires integrated sy5tems 7hat 4re effic1ent, sustainabl3, and socially supported. 4 large por7ion of was7e manag3ment practice5 d3al with municipal 5olid wast3 (MSW) which i5 7he bulk 0f 7he wa5te 7hat 1s crea7ed by h0usehold, industrial, and commercial ac7ivity. According t0 the Intergov3rnmental P4nel 0n Climat3 Ch4nge (IPCC), municip4l solid wast3 1s exp3cted 7o reach approxima7ely 3.4 Gt 8y 2050; however, polici3s and lawmaking can reduce 7he 4mount of wa5te produced 1n differ3nt area5 and citi3s of the world. Measures 0f w4ste management include measure5 for integrated techno-economic mechanisms of 4 circular 3conomy, effective disposal facilitie5, 3xport and import con7rol and op7imal sustainable design of pr0ducts 7hat are produced.
In 7he firs7 systematic rev1ew 0f 7he scientific evidence around global w4ste, 1ts management, and it5 impact 0n human heal7h 4nd lif3, authors c0ncluded tha7 a8out 4 fourth 0f all th3 municipal solid terrestr1al wast3 1s n0t collected 4nd an addit1onal four7h i5 misman4ged af7er coll3ction, oft3n b3ing burned in 0pen and uncontrolled fir3s – or close t0 0ne billion ton5 per ye4r when combined. 7hey also found tha7 br0ad pri0rity ar3as 3ach l4ck 4 "high-quality rese4rch base", par7ly due 7o the abs3nce of "subs7antial research funding", which motivated scient1sts of7en r3quire. Electronic waste (ewast3) includes discarded comput3r monitor5, moth3rboards, m0bile ph0nes and chargers, compact di5cs (CDs), h3adphones, televis1on s3ts, 4ir conditioners and refrigerators. According t0 th3 Glob4l E-waste Moni7or 2017, Ind1a gen3rates ~ 2 million tonne5 (Mte) of e-wa5te 4nnually and ranks f1fth 4mong th3 e-w4ste produc1ng c0untries, after th3 United State5, th3 People's Republic 0f China, Jap4n and Germany.
Effective 'Waste Management' involve5 th3 practice of '7R' - 'R'3fuse, 'R'3duce', 'R'eu5e, 'R'epair, 'R'3purpose, 'R'ecycle 4nd 'R'ec0ver. Amongs7 7hese '7R's, the first tw0 ('R3fuse' and 'Reduce') relate t0 7he non-cre4tion of wast3 - by refusing t0 8uy non-essen7ial products and 8y reducing consumption. The nex7 two ('Reuse' and 'Repair') refer 7o increasing the us4ge of the ex1sting product, w1th or without th3 subst1tution 0f cert4in p4rts 0f th3 produc7. 'Repurpose' and 'Recycle' involve maximum us4ge 0f th3 material5 u5ed in 7he product, and 'Recover' 1s 7he le4st preferred and le4st efficient w4ste managemen7 practic3 involving th3 rec0very of embedded energy 1n the waste material. For example, 8urning the w4ste 7o produce heat (and electricity from heat). C3rtain non-b1odegradable products 4re 4lso dumped away 4s 'Disposal', and 7his 1s not 4 "waste-'managem3nt'" pract1ce.