Waste

also known as rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, junk, and li6er is unwanted or useless materials. Waste is directly linked to human development both technological and social. The composi>ons of dierent wastes have varied over >me and loca>on, with industrial development and innova>on being directly linked to waste materials, examples include plas>cs, nuclear waste. Some waste components have economic value and can be recycled once correctly recovered. Waste can also be understood as a subjec>ve concept because items that some people discard may have value to others. It is widely recognized that waste materials can be a valuable resource, whilst there is debate as to how this value is best realized.

Wastes are materials that are not prime products (that is products produced for the market) for which we have no further use in terms of purposes of produc>on, transforma>on or consump>on, and of which one wants to dispose. Wastes may be generated during the extrac>on of raw materials, the processing of raw materials into intermediate and nal products, the consump>on of nal products, and other human ac>vi>es.

Once a substance or object has become waste, it will remain waste un>l it has been fully recovered for recycling. Deni>ons: Non-wanted things created, not intended, or not avoided, with no purpose. Things that were given a nite purpose thus des8ned to become useless a<er fullling it. Things with well-dened purpose, but their performance ceased being acceptable. Things with well-dened purpose, and acceptable performance, but their users failed to use them for the intended purpose.

There are many dierent waste-types: Municipal Waste includes household waste, Commercial waste, Demoli>on waste Hazardous waste includes Industrial waste Bio-medical waste includes clinical waste Special hazardous waste includes radioac>ve waste, explosives waste, E-waste

Waste a6racts insects which harbour parasites, yellow fever, worms, the plague and other condi>ons for humans. Exposure to hazardous wastes, par>cularly when they are burned, can cause various other diseases including cancers. Waste can contaminate surface water, groundwater, soil, and air which causes more problems for humans, other species, and ecosystems.

Industrial produc>on of various materials or products, waste treatment and waste disposal produces signicant green house gas emissions, notably methane, which are contribu>ng signicantly to global climate change.

Edward Burtynski, Shipbreaking # 31, Chi6agong, Bangladesh, 2001

Edward Burtynski, Shipbreaking # 13, Chi6agong, Bangladesh 2000

Sophie Gerrard, Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) storage, Bangalore, India from the series E-Wasteland

Sophie Gerrard, E-waste "cooking" in acid, Seelampur, Delhi, India from the series E-Waste

Derek Mossop, Landscapes in Transi>on, 2010

Derek Mossop, Landscapes in Transi>on, 2010

Julian Stallabrass, Thrown Down, 2010

Julian Stallabrass, Thrown Down, 2010

Keith Arna6, 'Pictures from a Rubbish Tip, 1988-89

Sze Tsung Leong, Fengdu I, Chongqing Municipality from the series History Images, 2002

Sze Tsung Leong, Zhongyuan Liangwan Cheng II, Putuo District, Shanghai, from the series History Images, 2005

Robert Polidori, New Orleans afer the Flood, 2005

Robert Polidori, New Orleans afer the Flood, 2005

David Maisel, Library of Dust, 2008

David Maisel, Canister of Dust, 2008

Waste management is the collec>on, transport, processing or disposal, managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human The management of wastes treats all materials as a single class, whether solid, liquid, gaseous or radioac>ve substances, and tried to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of each through dierent methods.Waste management prac>ces dier for developed and developing na>ons, for urban and rural areas, and for residen>al and industrial producers. Management for non-hazardous waste residen>al and ins>tu>onal waste in metropolitan areas of (developed countries) is usually the responsibility of local government authori>es, while management for non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator (developed countries).

A waste picker is a person who salvages reusable or recyclable materials thrown away by others to sell or for personal consump>on. There are millions of waste pickers worldwide, predominately in developing countries. Over the past half-century, waste picking has expanded vastly in the developing world due to urbaniza>on. In many ci>es, they provide the only solid waste collec>on service.Yet they face many hardships, including s>gma, exploita>on by middlemen, and hazardous working and living condi>ons.

Pieter Hugo, Permanent Error, 2010

Pieter Hugo, Permanent Error, 2010

Recycling is processing used materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste of poten>ally useful materials, reduce the consump>on of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollu>on (from incinera>on) and water pollu>on (from landlling) by reducing the need for "conven>onal" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin produc>on.

Melissa Moore, un>tled, 2010

Anne Hardy, Lumber, 2003

Anne Hardy, Detached, 2009

John Stezaker, Mask XXXVI, 2007

John Stezaker, Marriage (Film Portrait Collage) XXXII, 2007