A used or discarded
material that can damage human health and the environment. Hazardous wastes may
include heavy metals, toxic chemicals, medical wastes or radioactive material.
The fastest growing waste stream in both developing and developed countries
concerns electrical and electronic products, which contain hazardous substances
that make disposal even more of a challeHuman health and the environment are
increasingly at risk, particularly when dumpsites are uncontrolled or volume
becomes unmanageable. Illnesses and infections, ground water pollution, GHG
emission, and ecosystem destruction are just some of the impacts of our
overfilled global dustbin. The goal is to produce as little waste as possible,
recycle or remanufacture as much as possible, and treat any unavoidable waste
in a manner that is the least harmful to the environment and humans—or even as
a source of sustainable energy.
THE ABC FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES
UNEP / UN HABITAT / FIDIC / GI-REC
