The Compendium of WHO and other UN health and environmental directives Chapter 4 on Solid Waste published in 2024. This Compendium of WHO and other UN health and environmental directives presents a detailed examination of solid waste management. It delves into the multifaceted challenges and effective solutions required to address the increasing difficulties related to this pressing matter. Some of the highlights of the publication are as follows:
- Globally, over 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (which includes waste from households, industries, businesses, and institutions) are generated each year, and this figure is expected to rise to almost 4 billion tonnes annually by the year 2050.
- Improper waste management can lead to adverse health outcomes, for example through contamination of water, soil and air, as well as by creating hazardous conditions for those working in the waste management sector.
- Billions of people live in areas that lack adequate waste collection services and rely on uncontrolled disposal sites.
- Poor waste management leads to environmental pollution, both on land and in aquatic environments, such as lakes and oceans.
- Blocked drains filled with solid waste can cause stagnation of the water which increases the risk of cholera and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue.
- A lack of or poor waste management has negative socioeconomic effects, including on living standards, economic growth potential and community relations.
- Waste management is a complicated challenge that demands specialised knowledge, which is frequently overlooked in institutional settings, organisational structures, and political decision-making processes.
- Operating systems to manage solid waste involve a complex chain of interdependent logistical processes, which include waste prevention, generation, collection, transport, recovery and disposal.
- Waste management operations require dedicated attention to the establishment, monitoring and supervision of these complex systems. Health impacts can occur at each stage of the waste management process.
- Solid waste management is important for economic and social development and protects the health of all, especially the most vulnerable populations.
What is the situation regarding solid waste in my country?
In order to assess the advancement of sustainable solid waste management at local, national, and global scales, the UN has incorporated specific targets and indicators within the SDG framework:
- Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
- Indicator 11.6.1: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 11.6.1 monitors progress related to safe solid waste management: it is defined as the “proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities.
What is the situation regarding solid waste in India?
Solid waste management in India is a growing challenge, with the country generating a substantial amount of waste daily. While the government has initiated programs and policies, significant improvements are needed in waste collection, treatment, and disposal. Focusing on waste segregation at the source, recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy initiatives are key to a more sustainable system.
A Safe and Sustainable System for Solid Waste Management
- A holistic sustainable solid waste management system takes into account the entire process, starting from waste prevention to generation, collection, transportation, recovery, and disposal
- The waste hierarchy (Figure 1) provides a guiding principle for actions to reduce and manage waste in a given order of preference. A key focus should be placed on waste prevention, followed by reuse, recycling and recovery.
- All waste management systems require disposal facilities that, in turn, need to be operated well in order to safeguard public health and the quality of the environment.
Waste Prevention:
Reducing the generation of solid waste is of utmost importance, and this can be achieved through effective waste prevention, reuse, and recycling initiatives. These strategies not only protect the environment and public health but also result in financial savings by easing the demands on waste management systems and conserving natural resources.
Figure 1: Waste Hierarchy
