What is Waste Management?
The overall goal of waste management (also known as solid waste management) is to collect, treat and dispose of solid wastes generated by society:
- in the most sustainable manner possible
- with minimum environmental impact
- and in a socially responsible manner
- using the most economical means available.
The responsibility for providing domestic, industrial and commercial solid waste management services usually resides with local governments.
Local authorities usually discharge their responsibility for organizing the domestic, industrial and commercial solid waste management services by appointing one or more term contract contractor to provide the waste management services for the area under their jurisdiction. In the past it was more normal for waste management services to be provided by the local authorities themselves, but nowadays there are many national and international waste management companies that have the skills and the right organisational and investment funding capability to provide such services efficiently.
Most local government regulations give the waste management company exclusive ownership over the waste once it has been placed outside a home or establishment for collection.
The Waste Management industry provides a vital service to the populations it serves, without which within a week or two cities would become choked by waste in the streets, and the rotting food would start to spread odours, vermin, and ultimately disease.
Water waste management is another term for wastewater treatment, and is the water treatment/ liquid waste equivalent of solid waste management.
If (or when?) the waste management industry succeeds in its goals to achieve a zero waste society, it will cease to be waste management industry because when waste prevention, minimization and recycling becomes dominant it will more logically become known as the “resource management” service provider
