Waste

Waste and wastes are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or it is worthless, defective and of no use.

The term is often subjective (because waste to one person is not necessarily waste to another) and sometimes objectively inaccurate (for example, to send scrap metals to a landfill is to inaccurately classify them as waste, because they are recyclable). Examples include municipal solid waste (household trash/refuse), hazardous waste, wastewater (such as sewage, which contains bodily wastes (feces and urine) and surface runoff), radioactive waste, and others.

Definitions

United Nations Environment Program

According to the Basel Convention,

United Nations Statistics Division, Glossary of Environment Statistics

European Union

Under the Waste Framework Directive, the European Union defines waste as "an object the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard."

Types

There are many waste types defined by modern systems of waste management, notably including:

Latest News for: Waste plastic recycle

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Colombia Sees Sharp Decline in Single-Use Plastic Consumption

Colombia One 11 Dec 2024
“We see a boom in high-value-added plastic ... A key highlight was the opening of a new recycling plant in Tocancipa, near Bogota, with a capacity to process up to 12,000 tons of plastic waste annually ... An additional 80,000 recyclers contribute to waste processing efforts....
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Inside Labour’s plan to kill off the regular bin collection

AOL 11 Dec 2024
The local authority argues the move will reduce waste and incentivise people to recycle more ... “I recycle everything I can but the reality is some things – plastic bags, bubble wrap, some foam and polystyrene – cannot be recycled. “Then there’s dog waste....
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Inside Labour's plan to kill off the regular bin collection

The Daily Telegraph 11 Dec 2024
The local authority argues the move will reduce waste and incentivise people to recycle more ... “I recycle everything I can but the reality is some things – plastic bags, bubble wrap, some foam and polystyrene – cannot be recycled ... It states that 65 per cent of household waste should be recycled by 2035....
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Over 90% villages in Punjab, three other states achieved ODF Plus status: Centre

Hindustan Times 11 Dec 2024
Punjab has integrated grey water management in 87% of its ODF Plus villages and is now focusing on strengthening its solid waste management systems ... Madhya Pradesh has been a standout performer, not only achieving near-universal ODF Plus status but also introducing innovative plastic waste management initiatives through partnerships with recyclers....
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Eco-tech pyrolysis units process tons of plastic for circular economy goals

Interesting Engineering 10 Dec 2024
Akroneco developed a proprietary ultrasonic pyrolysis technology that converts non-recyclable plastic waste into pyrolysis oil ... The company’s compact pyrolysis units can process 1.2 to 2.4 tons of plastic waste daily, making them suitable for small recycling firms and manufacturers....
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Oregon Regulators Iron Out Details of Recycling Overhaul that Launches Next Year

Scrap Monster 10 Dec 2024
SEATTLE (Waste ... Many of these programs are responses to a global recycling disruption that began in 2017, when China — the world’s largest importer of recyclables — stopped accepting several types of waste, including plastics, due to high levels of contamination....
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How is Singapore turning trash into highways?

The Times of India 10 Dec 2024
Countries across the world are facing plastic waste disposal as a major environmental issue ... Not only does this applaudable solution help to reduce the plastic waste, but it also gives roads a higher quality and longer lifespan.In recent years, the country has started trials to use recycled plastic waste in road construction....
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Bắc Giang prioritises comprehensive waste management and environmental sustainability

Vietnam News 10 Dec 2024
Since 2021, the Fatherland Front Committee and various organisations in Bắc Giang have collaborated with local authorities to clear improperly disposed waste totalling 8,900 cubic metres, dredge 40 kilometres of irrigation canals, plant nearly 90,000 trees, and create over 100 recreational areas using recycled materials....
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Over 90 pc villages in Punjab, MP, UP, Bihar achieved ODF Plus status: Centre

The Times of India 10 Dec 2024
Bihar, although slightly behind, has reached 92 per cent ODF Plus coverage.Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil lauded these achievements during a high-level review meeting with state officials and mission directors, according to an official statement.He emphasised that sanitation ......
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Why this Kansas county is suing plastics companies over recyclability claims

The Hutchinson News 09 Dec 2024
Ford County, Kansas, is suing Exxon, Chevron, Dupont and a handful of other oil, gas and chemical companies alleging them of misrepresenting the recyclability of plastics causing increased costs for waste management ... When recycling plastic waste, a facility must sort and separate ......
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Trash to treasure: Perungudi dumpyard waste being recycled

The Times of India 09 Dec 2024
Plastic waste was shredded in the biomining plant while magnetic belts remove the steel materials ... Around 20% of retrieved waste comprising plastic, rubber and other refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and 10% recyclable materials such as paper, cloth, wood, and stones were processed by Zigma Global Environmental Solutions, GCC's biomining contractor....
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‘It is ambitious, but ambition builds the world’: can the Gambia’s bold plan to cut ...

AOL 09 Dec 2024
According to the Gambia Environmental Alliance, about 15 organisations outside government are working to address plastic pollution, including Precious Plastics, which recycles collected plastic into household products, and Women’s Initiative Gambia, which turns waste into handbags....

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