Anita Boros, Gyula Koi (eds): Sustainability and Law
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7. Questions of environmental law and environmental administrations (Anita Boros-Petra Stankovics)
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7.1. Waste management (Anita Boros)
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7.1.1. Global trends in waste generation

7.1.1. Global trends in waste generation

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One of the central topics of sustainability is the significant amount of waste generated worldwide as a result of population and economic growth and its inadequate management. One of the main goals of waste management policies is to support the conservation of existing natural resources by exploiting the resources accumulated in products destined to become waste.1 The amount, composition and type of waste generated in individual regions and countries largely depends on the country’s income level and consumption habits.2 According to the World Bank’s estimate, waste production will increase by 70% by 2050, from 2.01 billion tonnes to 3.40 billion in 2050;3 current generation amounts to 2.24 billion tonnes, which corresponds to a footprint of 0.79 kilograms per person per day.4

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Different groups of waste can be distinguished, such as, for example, hazardous and non-hazardous waste in terms of environmental impact, settlement and construction-demolition waste in terms of the nature of generation; agricultural, health, and industrial waste, but mostly different rules apply also to solid waste and wastewater.

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In addition to the continuous increase in the amount of waste, inadequate treatment of waste also poses a problem: only a small proportion of the waste generated in the world is recycled, i.e. returned to the economy, and landfilling still accounts for a significant share, often in the form of illegal disposal of waste. According to the Global Waste Index, less than half of the countries surveyed burn more waste than they dump.5 In terms of waste recycling, South Korea, Denmark and Germany rank among the top three countries worldwide.6 In 2022, 40.8% of waste was recycled and 30.2% was landfilled in the EU.7

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According to the Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 published by the UN,8 waste production has a number of negative effects, including its contribution to climate change through the release of significant amounts of CO2 and other gases (e.g. methane) and pollutants (e.g. soot). In addition, through improper waste disposal, hazardous chemicals may enter the soil, water bodies and air, causing irreversible damage to ecosystems and, in some cases, to human health. This results in significant environmental pollution and endangers biodiversity. .9
 
1Cainelli, G., D’Amato, A., Mazzanti, M. (2020). ‘Resource efficient eco-innovations for a circular economy: Evidence from EU firms.’ Research Policy, 49(1) 1-11. .DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2019.103827
2Malinauskaite, J., Jouhara, H., Czajczyńska, D., Stanchev, P., Katsou, E.., Rostkowski, P., Thorne, R. J., Colón, J., Ponsá, S., Al-Mansour, F., Anguilano, L., Krzyżyńska, R., López, I.C., Vlasopoulos, A., Spencer, N. (2017). ‘Municipal solid waste management and waste-to-energy in the context of a circular economy and energy recycling in Europe.’ Energy, 11(24) Vol. 141. 2013-2044. DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2017.11.128
3Kaza, S., Yao, L. C., Bhada-Tata, P., Van Woerden
4 World Bank Group, ‘Solid Waste Management’ <https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/solid-waste-management> (accessed 25 October 2024)
5

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6 United Nations Environment Program (2024). ‘Global Waste Management Outlook 2024: Beyond an age of waste – Turning rubbish into a resource. Nairobi.’ <https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/44939https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/44939> (accessed 25 October 2024)
7 ‘EUROSTAT 2022.’ <https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Waste_statistics> (accessed 28 October 2024)
8

United Nations Environment Program (2024). ‘Global Waste Management Outlook 2024: Beyond an age of

waste – Turning rubbish into a resource. Nairobi.’ <https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/44939> (accessed 25 October 2024)

9Maalouf, A., El-Fadel, M. (2018). ‘Carbon footprint of integrated waste management systems with implications of food waste diversion into the wastewater stream.’ Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 263-277. 30(6) Vol. 133. 263-277. DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.02.021
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