Today, we are experiencing globally both rapid pullulation growth and urbanization. Total waste generation in 2020 was estimated to be approximately 2.5 billion tons. Based on current population growth projections annual waste generation is expected to reach nearly 4 billion tons by 2050 – an increase of 70% over 2020. Since urban areas will most likely attract a majority of this growth, it will be the cities that will need to advance the necessary infrastructure to accommodate this waste.
The most severe impact will be experienced in developing countries with the urban poor being the greatest affected. Today, in poor countries over 90% of waste collected is being often deposited in burn dumps or open landfills. The problem is further exasperated by developed countries actually exporting their waste to these low-income countries for disposal. This situation contributes to serious health hazards and often these sites are breeding grounds for diseases and vermin growth. Adequate waste management is expensive and often is the highest expense that cities need to fund. One key solution involves recycling. More and more cities are offering collection centers where plastic, glass and paper are the most common materials that can be recycled. Revenue from the recycling of this waste bring some relief to cities budgets.
