Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Environmental risk of waste and its
management
K. Gruiz & O. Klebercz
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science,
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
ABSTRACT
This is a short overview on the world-wide problem of waste, the relevant legislation
and management, particularly regarding waste hierarchy, waste classification, and
life cycle assessment of wastes combined with environmental risk assessment as a
basis for decisions on waste re-use and utilization. Waste utilization on soil will create
an innovative link between waste hierarchy, abandoned land, and deteriorated soil
reclamation and remediation.
1 THEWASTE PROBLEM AND ITS MANAGEMENT:
AN INTRODUCTION
The development of industry, agriculture and world-wide living standards have given
birth to a waste problem. According to the 2006 World Waste Survey (Lacoste &
Chalmin, 2006), the earth's population produces 2.5-4 billion metric tonnes of waste
per year, of which 1.6 billion tonnes per year is municipal waste and about 200 million
is recognized as hazardous waste. This stream of waste has large social, economic, and
environmental effects, and necessitated the establishment of a much wider scope of
waste management than formerly that covered almost only disposal and incineration.
Traditional waste management is the control of the collection, treatment, and
disposal of wastes. Its objective is to reduce the negative impacts waste has on the
environment and society such as adverse effects on health, the ecosystem, or aesthetics.
Waste must be better appreciated considering its intrinsic value as material
resource, the depletion of raw materials, rising costs of mining and chemical pro-
duction as well as the increasing expectation of consumers, NGOs and legislation
enforcing sustainable material use. On the other hand, the high cost of waste disposal,
particularly of hazardous wastes, increases the value of waste and encourages its reuse
instead of disposal.
What factor exerts the greatest pressure on waste recovery and reuse at ever higher
hierarchy levels?
-
Raw material: depletion, increasing prices, supply problems, market distortions;
-
Mining: raw material depletion, increasing costs, increasing transport distances
and prices, stricter regulation;
 
 
 
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