Domestic Waste

Examples of Domestic Waste

Domestic waste is split into categories: organic, toxic, recyclable, and soiled.

The time taken for waste to break down varies considerably.

What are the Differences Between Domestic and Industrial Waste?

The key difference between domestic and industrial waste is the site of its production. Domestic waste is produced in the home. Industrial waste is produced by industries, manufacturing processes, and resource extraction.

Where does industrial waste come from?

• Factories

• Mining and resource extraction

• Textile mills

• Electricity generation

• Water treatment

• Food production

• Metallurgy

Industrial waste has the potential to pollute nearby soil or waterways, impacting the environment.

Causes of Domestic Waste

Domestic waste can come from a variety of sources, but there are a few major causes to be aware of.

Food Waste

The UK throws away 9.5 million tonnes of food every year. That's the highest amount in Europe – and it's even more problematic considering that over 8 million UK residents are experiencing food poverty.

Why does the UK produce so much food waste? There's a variety of causes, but the main ones are:

• Shops and restaurants ordering more food than they need

• Consumers buying too much food

• Lack of awareness of expiry dates

Figure 1: Fruit, vegetables, bread and milk are the most common culprits. Source: Unsplash

Unnecessary Purchasing

Unnecessary purchases contribute to domestic waste – as well as wasting money. A 2019 report found that the British public wasted £641 million shopping online and failing to return unwanted products.

Instead of buying something new, it's better to reuse or borrow an existing resource. If you do need to buy the item, make sure it's efficient and long-lived.

Packaging

Packaging of food and other products account for a large proportion of waste. In the UK, 70% of all plastic waste is single-use plastic packaging.

Effects of Domestic Waste

Large amounts of domestic waste can negatively impact human health and the environment.

Ineffective Management

Improper management of domestic waste is common, especially in urban areas of developing countries. The resulting waste buildup can negatively affect human health. It attracts disease-carrying insects, contaminates drinking water, and can cause air pollution.

E-Waste

It's important for e-waste to be stored and disposed of properly. E-waste needs to be brought to a specialised recycling centre – not placed in a kerbside bin.

Illegal e-waste incineration contributes to air pollution. This results in heavy metal exposure, hypertension, and hypoxemia in nearby residents.

Landfill

A large quantity of domestic waste ends up in landfill sites. These unsightly and smelly rubbish dumps contaminate the environment and threaten human health.

Figure 2: Waste in landfill sites can take hundreds of years to biodegrade. Source: Unsplash

Landfill sites produce a liquid called leachate, which can become toxic. If left unchecked, leachate can contaminate nearby waterways, negatively impacting aquatic ecosystems.

Landfill sites have a sweet, sickly smell caused by landfill gases. These contain greenhouse gases and pollutants including methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. Short-term exposure to landfill gas can cause a range of health issues such as asthma, sleep problems, weight loss, and chest pain. Methane and carbon dioxide can affect the availability of oxygen to the tissues, resulting in coordination issues, fatigue, nausea, and unconsciousness. Prolonged exposure to landfill gases have been linked with cancer, respiratory disorders, and developmental defects in children.

Furthermore, flammable methane gas can cause explosions and fires at landfill sites.

Treatment Options for Domestic Waste

During your A-Level, you may be asked to evaluate different treatment options for domestic waste. Four options are covered here, each with advantages and disadvantages.

Landfill

A landfill site is an area of land used to dump domestic waste.

Advantages

• Landfill sites remove waste from homes and streets – it has to go somewhere!
• It's a cheap method of waste disposal.
• Waste in landfill has the potential to be burned as a source of energy.

Disadvantages

• Landfill sites contaminate the environment.
• Breakdown of waste produces landfill gas, a source of carbon emissions.
• Living in proximity to a landfill site can affect human health.

Incineration

Advantages

• Incineration converts waste into energy, which can power homes and essential infrastructure.
• It reduces the quantity of waste.
• Incineration produces less pollution than landfill sites.

Disadvantages

• Waste incineration plants have high operating costs.

• Burning waste can cause air pollution, impacting human health.

• Incinerating waste is linked to environmental racism. A rapidly increasing number of incinerators in the UK are being disproportionately built in low-income areas and neighbourhoods with high populations of people of colour.

Recycling

Lots of waste can be recycled, such as cardboard, paper, some plastics, food waste, and glass.

Figure 3: Waste material must be separated before it can be processed for recycling. Source: Unsplash

Advantages

• Recycling reduces the demand for natural resources.

• Recycling reduces the quantity of waste in landfill.

• The recycling process doesn't emit greenhouse gases. It also reduces pollution during the extraction phase of the production process – i.e. getting the raw materials out of the ground.

Disadvantages

• Building recycling plants carries a high upfront cost.

• It can be difficult to encourage households to change their behaviour and recycle their waste.

• Recycled products may not be as durable. They're often made of overused, fragile waste materials.

Composting

Composting can be used for food waste, teabags, eggshells, and garden waste.

Advantages

• Composting improves soil structure and quality.

• Food waste acts as an organic fertiliser.

• It's a cheap method of waste treatment.

Disadvantages

• Not all organic matter is suitable for composting (such as animal bones).

• Composting requires an initial investment.

• The composting process requires regular work and monitoring.

I hope that this article has clarified domestic waste for you. Remember that it's waste produced in the home from regular day-to-day activities. Major sources of domestic waste include food waste, unnecessary purchases and excess packaging.

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