Guidelines for national waste management strategies: moving from challenges to opportunities
The Guidelines for National Waste Management Strategies: Moving from Challenges to Opportunities seeks to provide strategic guidance to countries whose waste management systems are disorganized, haphazard or under-resourced or are in need of a review of their current strategies. Open dumping - the most prevalent waste disposal method in many countries - can lead to acute health impacts for those living closest to dumping sites, most often the urban poor. In addition, poor waste management can lead to significant environmental hazards: leachate from waste can contaminate soil and water, open burning of waste can cause air pollution and a failure to use recycled materials from waste means an acceleration in the depletion of ‘raw’ materials.