Waste

Waste and wastes are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or it is worthless, defective and of no use.

The term is often subjective (because waste to one person is not necessarily waste to another) and sometimes objectively inaccurate (for example, to send scrap metals to a landfill is to inaccurately classify them as waste, because they are recyclable). Examples include municipal solid waste (household trash/refuse), hazardous waste, wastewater (such as sewage, which contains bodily wastes (feces and urine) and surface runoff), radioactive waste, and others.

Definitions

United Nations Environment Program

According to the Basel Convention,

United Nations Statistics Division, Glossary of Environment Statistics

European Union

Under the Waste Framework Directive, the European Union defines waste as "an object the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard."

Types

There are many waste types defined by modern systems of waste management, notably including:

Latest News for: Council waste

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Winners announced for the 12th Edition of the Malta Waste Reduction Awards

The Malta Independent 03 Apr 2025
Schools, public entities, NGOs, businesses, and individuals were recognised for their outstanding contributions to waste reduction during the 12th edition of the Malta Waste Reduction Awards ... Special recognition was given to Regional Councils for their continued efforts in advancing waste management strategies in their respective localities....
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Birmingham rubbish strike leaves three million wheelie bins rotting in streets

The Daily Telegraph 03 Apr 2025
Birmingham city council estimated a much smaller figure, arguing that around 17,000 tonnes of waste remains uncollected across the city ... Workers went on strike over the Labour council’s decision to abolish the waste recycling and collection officer role, which is responsible for safety at the back of a refuse collection lorry....
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Carton Council Launches Grant Program to Expand Food and Beverage Carton Recycling in Schools

Scrap Monster 03 Apr 2025
SEATTLE (Waste Advantage). Schools across the U.S ... “By sorting empty milk, juice, and other cartons, schools contribute to ensuring these cartons are recycled into new products while reducing landfill waste,” said Jordan Fengel, executive director of the Carton Council....
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Britain's 'wonkiest road' which was so crooked it was used as a makeshift skate park ...

The Daily Mail 03 Apr 2025
Wiltshire Council splashed out £5million on repairing the damage, including constructing a 108 metre long retaining wall ... Some locals thought the repairs would be a waste of taxpayer's money as the road runs through an area which has always been unstable but Wiltshire Council insisted it has a legal duty to repair it....
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Birmingham’s bin disaster takes us back to the dark past

The Daily Telegraph 02 Apr 2025
The Labour council has declared a “major incident” as the 17,000 tons of waste pose a public health hazard with no sign of a settlement of the dispute ... Part of the problem stems from a flawed deal with Unite in 2017, also over waste services, which led to legal action over equal pay that has cost the council hundreds of millions of pounds....
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The rats are ginormous, as big as dogs: Birmingham rat catcher says rodents growing fat ...

The Daily Mail 02 Apr 2025
Unite said its members face pay cuts after the scrapping of waste collection and recycling officer roles, despite already voluntarily accepting cuts to pay and terms and conditions after the council declared bankruptcy....
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Springfield looks for ways to increase curbside recycling, divert waste from landfill

Springfield News-Leader 02 Apr 2025
Ashley Krug, market development coordinator for the city's Solid Waste division, told Springfield City Council the waste study found 42% of the waste reviewed during the study period going to the landfill could be recycled ... In December, council approved an application for up to $5 million in grant funds from the U.S ... Krug told council at the Dec....
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Dorset incinerator opposers

BBC News 02 Apr 2025
The High Court has dismissed an appeal for a statutory review into Powerfuel Portland's £150m waste ... The group's request for a statutory review was upheld on the grounds the Secretary of State's decision "does not satisfy" Dorset Council's Waste Plan....
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Glasgow Council faces £1.6 billion in debt while Chief Executive walks away with half a million pay package

The Daily Telegraph 02 Apr 2025
It is a rare household that hasn’t wondered what their ever-rising council tax bills pay for, as the bins pile up, or potholes plague the roads, or streets remain inadequately lit. A new report on the remuneration of council bosses offers a rather grim answer to that question ... Waste Watch, Glasgow, Council tax....
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How Birmingham bin strike's buried the city in 17,000 tons of rubbish, unleashed huge rats ...

The Daily Mail 02 Apr 2025
The council says it wants to remove a specific role from each rubbish truck – the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) who is, nominally, the health and safety functionary ... The council calls it the real world ... Some trucks will head straight for one of the two pop-up waste collection points which the council announces each day....
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Natural England blasted as woke 'eco-lunatics' after refusing to clear 'foul' overgrown grass on sandy ...

The Daily Mail 02 Apr 2025
Patches of long grass have sprouted up across the beach after Wirral Council stopped using weed killer glyphosate in 2019 and paused beach management a year later ... And Wirral Green Party slammed the council for ‘wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money.’. ‘This decision underscores a massive waste of time and resources for the council....
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Impact of Birmingham bin strikes completely unacceptable

BBC News 02 Apr 2025
Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons during Prime Minister's Questions that he also supported the Labour-run city council's decision to declare a major incident, imposed 20 days into the strike over workers' pay ... I fully support the council in declaring a major incident to resolve the situation....
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Plan to buy land for food waste collection service

BBC News 02 Apr 2025
... food waste collection service ... The plans will be discussed at a council cabinet meeting on 9 April....

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