About two-thirds of countries have created targeted legislation and regulations for solid waste management, though enforcement varies drastically.
In most countries, solid waste management operations are typically a local responsibility, and nearly 70 percent of countries have established institutions with responsibility for policy development and regulatory oversight in the waste sector. Solid waste–related emissions are anticipated to increase to 2.38 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year by 2050 if no improvements are made in the sector. Food waste accounts for nearly 50% of emissions. This is driven primarily by disposing of waste in open dumps and landfills without landfill gas collection systems. Global treatment and disposal of waste (percent)īased on the volume of waste generated, its composition, and how it is managed, it is estimated that 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent greenhouse gas emissions were generated from solid waste treatment and disposal in 2016, or 5 percent of global emissions. Incineration is used primarily in high-capacity, high-income, and land-constrained countries. This rate decreases in high-income countries to 39 percent, with diversion of 36 percent of waste to recycling and composting and 22 percent to incineration. Upper-middle-income countries have the highest percentage of waste in landfills, at 54 percent. Three regions openly dump more than half of their waste-the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia. Lower-income countries generally rely on open dumping 93 percent of waste is dumped in low-income countries and only 2 percent in high-income countries. Adequate waste disposal or treatment, such as controlled landfills or more stringently operated facilities, is almost exclusively the domain of high- and upper-middle-income countries.
Open dumping accounts for about 31 percent of waste, 19 percent is recovered through recycling and composting, and 11 percent is incinerated for final disposal. Some 37 percent of waste is disposed of in some form of a landfill, 8 percent of which is disposed of in sanitary landfills with landfill gas collection systems. Globally, most waste is currently dumped or disposed of in some form of a landfill. Countries that advance from open dumping and other rudimentary waste management methods are more likely to succeed when they select locally appropriate solutions. Technology is not a panacea and is usually only one factor to consider when managing solid waste. It is a frequent misconception that technology is the solution to the problem of unmanaged and increasing waste. In these regions, more than half of waste is currently openly dumped, and the trajectories of waste growth will have vast implications for the environment, health, and prosperity, thus requiring urgent action. However, the fastest growing regions are Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa, where, by 2050, total waste generation is expected to more than triple, double, and double respectively.
The East Asia and Pacific region is generating most of the world’s waste, at 23 percent, and the Middle East and North Africa region is producing the least in absolute terms, at 6 percent. The total quantity of waste generated in low-income countries is expected to increase by more than three times by 2050. Waste generation initially decreases at the lowest income levels and then increases at a faster rate for incremental income changes at low income levels than at high income levels. Daily per capita waste generation in high-income countries is projected to increase by 19 percent by 2050, compared to low- and middle-income countries where it is expected to increase by approximately 40% or more. Overall, there is a positive correlation between waste generation and income level. When looking forward, global waste is expected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050, more than double population growth over the same period. Though they only account for 16 percent of the world’s population, high-income countries generate about 34 percent, or 683 million tonnes, of the world’s waste. Worldwide, waste generated per person per day averages 0.74 kilogram but ranges widely, from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms.
The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with at least 33 percent of that-extremely conservatively-not managed in an environmentally safe manner.