Definition of waste

Wastes are substances or objects, which are intended to be disposed of, or are required to be disposed by the provisions of national laws. Additionally, wastes are such items which people are required to discard, for  example by law because of their hazardous properties. Many items can be considered as waste like household rubbish, sewage sludge, wastes from manufacturing activities, packaging items, discarded cars, old televisions, garden waste, old paint containers etc,. Thus, all our daily activities give rise to a large variety of different wastes arising from different sources. The rising quality of life and high rates of resource consumption patterns have had an unintended and negative impact on the environment- the generation of wastes far beyond the handling capacities of governments and agencies.  

 Kinds of waste 

Municipal waste is waste generated by households and consists of paper, organic waste, metals etc,. The production processes, households and commercial activities generating waste are hazardous waste. Bio-medical waste is waste generated by hospitals and other health providers and consists of discarded drugs, waste sharps, microbiology & biotechnology waste, human anatomical waste, animal waste etc,. Construction and demolition waste arises from activities such as the construction and demolition of buildings, creation of infrastructure such as road planning and maintenance etc,. Mining waste arises from prospecting, extraction,  treatment and storage of minerals. Waste electrical and electronic equipment chemicals. Movement of leachate from landfills, effluent treating plants and waste disposal sites may result in hazardous substances entering surface water, ground water or soil. Waste contaminates soil and can harm plants when they take up contaminants from their roots. Eating plants or animals that have accumulated soil contaminants can adversely affect the health of humans and animals. Emissions from incinerators or other waste burning devices and landfills can cause air contamination. Incinerators routinely emit dioxins, furans and polychlorinated by-phenyls, which are deadly toxins, causing cancer and endocrine system damage. Landfills are a big source of release of green house gases, which are generated when organic waste decomposes in landfills. E-waste contains a mix of toxic substances such as lead and cadmium in circuit boards; lead oxide and cadmium in monitor cathode ray tubes; mercury in switches and flat screen monitors; cadmium in computer batteries; polyvinyl chloride in cable insulation that release highly toxic dioxins and furans when burned to retrieve copper from the wires. Thus, improper handling of waste has consequences both on the environment as well as on the health of  the people consists of end of life products and comprises of a range of electrical and electronic items such as refrigerators, washing machines, information technology and telecommunication  equipment like computers and printers, televisions etc,. Radioactive waste is any material that contains a concentration of radionuclides greater than those deemed safe by national authorities, and for which, no use is foreseen. Other sources of waste include end-of-life vehicles, packaging waste, tyres, agricultural waste etc,. 

  Impact of waste on health and environment

Waste represents a threat to the environment and human health if not handled or disposed of properly. Surface and ground water contamination takes place when waste reach water bodies. Residues from waste can change the water chemistry, which can affect all levels of an ecosystem. The health of animals and humans are affected when they drink the contaminated water. A specific environmental hazard caused by waste is leachate, which is the liquid that forms, as water trickles through contaminated areas leaching out the chemicals. Movement of leachate from landfills, effluent treating plants and waste disposal sites may result in hazardous substances entering surface water, ground water or soil. Waste contaminates soil and can harm plants when they take up contaminants from their roots. Eating plants or animals that have accumulated soil contaminants can adversely affect the health of humans and animals. Emissions from incinerators or other waste burning devices and landfills can cause air contamination. Incinerators routinely emit dioxins, furans and polychlorinated by-phenyls, which are deadly toxins, causing cancer and endocrine system damage. Landfills are a big source of release of green house gases, which are generated when organic waste decomposes in landfills. E-waste contains a mix of toxic substances such as lead and cadmium in circuit boards; lead oxide and cadmium in monitor cathode ray tubes; mercury in switches and flat screen monitors; cadmium in computer batteries; polyvinyl chloride in cable insulation that release highly toxic dioxins and furans when burned to retrieve copper from the wires. Thus, improper handling of waste has consequences both on the environment as well as on the health of the people.