Waste Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste prod ...

, unwanted or unusable material, varies in type and quantity in different countries.

Developed nations

Developed countries A developed country (or industrialized country, high-income country, more economically developed country (MEDC), advanced country) is a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy and advanced technological infrastruct ...

produce more waste per capita because they have higher levels of consumption. There are higher proportions of

plastics Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their Plasticity (physics), plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be Injection moulding, moulded, Extrusion, e ...

metals A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, and

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

in the

municipal solid waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, ...

stream and there are higher labour costs."Solid Waste Management." 2005. United Nations Environment Programme. Chapter III: Waste Quantities and Characteristics, 31-38. . As countries continue developing, there is a reduction in biological solid waste and

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

.Diaz, L. et al. ''Solid Waste Management, Volume 2.'' UNEP/Earthprint, 2006. Per capita waste generation in

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

countries has increased by 14% since 1990, and 35% since 1980."Improving Recycling Markets." OECD Environment Program. Paris: OECD, 2006. Waste generation generally grows at a rate slightly lower than GDP in these countries. Developed countries consume more than 60% of the world industrial raw materials and only comprise 22% of the world's population.Baker, Elaine et al. “Vital Waste Graphics.” United Nations Environment Program and Grid-Arendal, 2004. < http://www.grida.no/publications/vg/waste/page/2853.aspx >. As a nation, Americans generate more waste than any other nation in the world with of municipal solid waste (MSW) per person per day, fifty five percent of which is contributed as residential garbage.March 2008, Cashing in on Climate Change, IBISWorld

Developing nations

Developing nations produce lower levels of waste per capita with a higher proportion of organic material in the municipal solid waste stream. If measured by weight, organic (biodegradable) residue constitutes at least 50% of waste in developing countries. Labour costs are relatively low but

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring ...

is generally a higher proportion of municipal expenditure. As

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

continues,

grows faster than urban populations because of increasing consumption and shortening product life spans.

Transboundary issues with waste

Waste is shipped between countries for disposal and this can create problems in the target country. Electronic waste is commonly shipped to developing countries for recycling, reuse or disposal. The Basel Convention is a

Multilateral Environmental Agreement An international environmental agreement or sometimes environmental protocol, is a type of treaty binding in international law, allowing them to reach an environmental goal. In other words, it is "an intergovernmental document intended as legall ...

to prevent problematic waste disposal in countries that have weaker environmental protection laws. The Convention has not prevented the formation of

e-waste village Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informa ...

Waste by country

Waste in New Zealand The management of waste in New Zealand has become more regulated to reduce associated environmental issues. According to OECD data, New Zealand is the third most wasteful country in the OECD. History Until recently, waste was taken to local rub ...

Waste in the United Kingdom It is estimated that 290 million tonnes of waste was produced in the United Kingdom in 2008 but volumes are declining. In 2012 municipal solid waste generation was almost 30 million tonnes, according to Waste Atlas Platform. The National Waste S ...

* Waste in the United States *

Waste management in India Waste management in India falls under the purview of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). In 2016, this ministry released the Solid Wastage Management (SWM) Rules, which replaced by the Municipal Solid Waste (M ...

References

External links