Waste & circular economy
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
Definition
Municipal solid waste is waste generated from residential and commercial sources and managed mainly by local governments, including organics, paper, plastics, glass, metals and other household-type discards. Global MSW generation was estimated at 1.3 billion tonnes per year and projected to reach 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025, with volumes in low-income countries expected to roughly triple by 2050.
References
definition, 1.3→2.2 billion tonnes projection, 2050 growth, waste hierarchy
Overview
What it means
MSW is where consumption meets disposal: in low-income settings most waste is openly dumped or burned, driving methane emissions, plastic leakage to waterways and severe health burdens on waste workers and nearby communities.
How it is used
Managed through the waste hierarchy — prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery, disposal — via collection systems, sanitary landfills, composting, and increasingly circular economy strategies; the World Bank's What a Waste series provides benchmark data.
Why it matters
Waste volumes track consumption and urbanisation; how cities manage MSW determines methane emissions, marine plastic and public health for billions of urban residents.