Global regional waste disposal by method 2016

Treatment and disposal of municipal solid wastes (MSW) can vary widely across the world. South Asia disposes the majority of its MSW in open dumps, whereas about 33 percent of MSW in North America is recycled. Solid waste management is essential for sustainable and healthy cities and communities but is often neglected in low income regions. The lack of developed systems will increasingly become an issue due to rapid urbanization, growing populations, and increased waste generation. Unmanaged waste can cause both human and environmental harm – contributing to climate change and leading to toxic runoffs that contaminate surface water and groundwater. Global waste outlook Waste generation is projected to increase worldwide over the next decades, with East Asia and the Pacific region producing the most waste. Currently, high and upper-middle income countries produce over 60 percent of the world’s waste. However, as people living in lower income countries become more affluent, they tend to consume and thus, throw away more. Waste generation in these regions are expected to quickly surpass current levels of generation.

全球范围内，城市固体废物（MSW）的处理与处置方法存在显著差异。南亚地区大部分MSW被露天堆放处理，而北美地区约有33%的MSW得到回收。固体废物管理对于实现可持续发展和维护城市与社区的健康发展至关重要，然而在低收入地区往往被忽视。随着快速的城市化进程、人口增长以及废物产生量的增加，尚未完善的废物管理体系问题将愈发突出。未得到有效管理的废物不仅会对人类健康和环境造成损害——加剧气候变化，并导致有毒污染物渗漏，污染地表水和地下水。全球废物展望显示，在未来数十年内，全球废物产生量预计将增加，东亚及太平洋地区产生的废物量最多。目前，高收入和上中等收入国家生产的废物占全球废物总量的60%以上。然而，随着低收入国家居民生活水平的提升，他们的消费和由此产生的废物扔弃量也趋向增加。这些地区的废物产生量预计将迅速超过当前水平。