Knowra Waste management Waste management Waste management is the organized collection, treatment, recovery, and disposal of discarded materials. It aims to protect health and the environment while reducing waste and recovering useful resources.
Waste collection : The gathering of discarded materials from homes, businesses, and public spaces for transport and processing. It begins the organized movement of waste from where it is generated.
Municipal solid waste : Everyday solid waste collected from households and similar sources, including commercial and institutional premises. This is the familiar stream that municipal collection systems are designed to handle.
Composting : The controlled biological decomposition of organic materials into a stable soil amendment. It diverts food scraps and yard waste from disposal while producing a useful output.
Source reduction : The prevention of waste by reducing material use or avoiding products that become discarded. It avoids generating waste rather than managing it after disposal begins.
Circular economy : An economic model that seeks to retain the value of products and materials through design, reuse, repair, and recovery. Waste management can support circularity, but depends on decisions made before disposal.
Materials recovery facility : A facility that sorts recyclable materials from mixed or separately collected waste streams. Sorting determines which materials can return to production instead of disposal.
Hazardous waste : Waste with properties such as toxicity, corrosivity, ignitability, or reactivity that create significant risks. Its risk profile changes the storage, transport, and treatment required.
Anaerobic digestion : The breakdown of organic material by microorganisms in oxygen-free conditions, producing biogas and digestate. It treats biodegradable waste while recovering energy and nutrient-rich residues.
Reuse : The continued use of a product or material, often with little or no processing. It preserves an item’s function without the material transformation required by recycling.
Environmental justice : The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people in environmental decisions and outcomes. Facilities and pollution burdens can fall unevenly across communities.
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