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

Edit

Plastic-Eating Worms Discovered in Africa Offer New Hope for Waste Management

Colombia One 13 Nov 2024
New research finds that plastic-eating worms can digest plastic, offering a potential natural solution to the world’s plastic waste problem ... Plastic-eating worms and waste management ... Moreover, this research could someday help develop recycling methods that harness these natural enzymes to process plastic waste more effectively....
Edit

Plastics Industry Association to Celebrate Recycling Week

Scrap Monster 12 Nov 2024
SEATTLE (Waste Advantage). The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) will commemorate Recycling Week from November 11-15, reaffirming the industry’s continued commitment to promoting recycling efforts across the United States ... Throughout Recycling Week, PLASTICS will ......
Edit

Holistic approach needed to improve glass recycling

Vietnam News 12 Nov 2024
Cognisant of the need to do more to address post-consumer waste, governments in ASEAN member states have also begun introducing regulations on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), requiring manufacturers and importers to contribute to national efforts to increase household recycling rates of materials like PET plastics, aluminum cans, and glass....
Edit

Carbon recycling instead of plastic trash

Science Daily 12 Nov 2024
A research team has now introduced a new method for recycling polystyrene waste....
Edit

Iron electrocatalysis breaks down polystyrene and delivers green hydrogen

Phys Dot Org 11 Nov 2024
Less than 10% of the plastic produced in the world is recycled. Plastic waste is ... Efficient, cost-effective recycling methods that convert plastic waste to valuable small molecules that can be used in chemical syntheses would be a step toward a sustainable circular carbon economy....
Edit

Inching Toward a Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution

Scrap Monster 11 Nov 2024
Some of our plastic waste is recycled, responsibly incinerated or properly landfilled, but tens of millions of tons are mismanaged annually — burned in open pits or left to pollute the environment ... That treaty might cap plastic production, phase out problem chemicals, and ......
Edit

Startups awarded as Africa youth summit closes in Rwanda

Xinhua 11 Nov 2024
... Africa through affordable assistive devices like crutches, walkers, and prosthetics made from recycled electronic waste ... The fourth winner, Clenville Ltd., focuses on improving plastic waste management through an innovative app that incentivizes users to segregate recyclables....
Edit

How Hyundai's fuel-cell tech went from iffy to world-class | Reviews

Canoe 11 Nov 2024
As of 2019, only nine per cent of the world’s plastic waste was recycled. More worrying is the amount of plastic waste is projected to increase to 1.23 billion tons by 2060. The good news is plastic waste can be turned into hydrogen — 130,000 tons of plastic waste produces 24,000 tons of environmentally-friendly hydrogen....
Edit

How Hyundai's fuel-cell tech went from iffy to world-class

Driving 11 Nov 2024
As of 2019, only nine per cent of the world’s plastic waste was recycled. More worrying is the amount of plastic waste is projected to increase to 1.23 billion tons by 2060. The good news is plastic waste can be turned into hydrogen — 130,000 tons of plastic waste produces 24,000 tons of environmentally-friendly hydrogen....
Edit

Why handwashing is important

Manila Bulletin 11 Nov 2024
KEEP THINGS CLEAN Using soap and water while washing hands is highly recommended to keep our hands safe from germs ... The latest addition of handwashing stations is also made from eco-bricks or building materials created from recycled plastic waste.CLEAN AND ECO-FRIENDLY These donated handwashing stations are made from eco-bricks ... Alejandro Ibañez ... ....
Edit

IISc researchers develop recyclable, eco-friendly bio-derived foam for FMCG packaging

Deccan Herald 10 Nov 2024
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have developed an innovative, eco-friendly bio-derived foam that disintegrates in landfills without contaminating groundwater, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic ......
Edit

Kittampalayam shows way with bus shelter made of plastic waste

The Times of India 09 Nov 2024
Of this, multi-layered plastic (MLP) waste accounts for 80kg to 100kg ... We also partnered with Recompose Recycling Pvt Ltd, a firm specializing in waste segregation ... We process the MLP in our plant, using a shredder to turn non-recyclable plastic waste into granules, which we supply to a waste-to-building materials plant in Erode....
Edit

Opinion: When it comes to plastics pollution, we need solutions, not more hyperbole

GoErie 09 Nov 2024
The planned recycling facility is supported by some in the plastics industry but environmental concerns from local groups in Erie point out questions ... recycle and reuse ... However, our industry recognizes the growing amount of plastic waste is not sustainable for our environment....

Most Viewed

×