Source Reduction and Recycling of Waste
Published 2016 · M. Renner
1
Citations
0
Influential Citations
Abstract
As more people move to urban areas and as consumption levels rise, cities are producing ever-growing volumes of waste. In 2012, worldwide flows of municipal solid waste (MSW, known more commonly as trash or garbage) totaled some 1.3 billion tons, a figure that could rise to 2.2 billion tons per year by 2025. Much of this waste ends up in landfills, which generate serious air and water pollution and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. MSW is the third largest source of human-caused methane emissions, and the open burning and transport of waste release significant amounts of black carbon particulates and carbon dioxide (CO2). Leachate from landfills contaminates groundwater and poses a risk of vector-borne disease.