Circular Economy
Solid Waste Management
Definition
Solid waste management is the system of generation control, storage, collection, transport, processing and disposal of solid waste, organised under the waste hierarchy (prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery, disposal). Around two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated annually, projected to rise sharply; in many low-income cities less than half is collected, and open dumping and burning remain common, driving plastic leakage to oceans, methane emissions and public health harm.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Solid Waste Management” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
The concept structures municipal services, UNEP and World Bank waste programmes, EPR implementation, and the waste sector's climate mitigation (methane) agenda.
Why it matters
Waste is where consumption becomes visible; managing it well is among the cheapest, most immediate improvements available to urban sustainability.