Types of waste
There are many types of waste. Household waste is the waste that each household throws away. Every week we throw away plastics, paper, cartons, food scraps, garden rubbish, glass and plastic bottles and so on. Australians and Americans are among the biggest producers of waste. Each Australian produces about 690 kilograms of waste per year.
Other waste comes from industry and mining. A lot of this waste can be toxic (poisonous). If toxic waste is not disposed of carefully then the waste can find its way into the rivers, lakes and oceans. Toxic waste can cause severe health problems for people who come into contact with it. Some waste such as nuclear waste is too dangerous to dispose of in landfill. It needs to be buried deep underground in specially made drums.
Sewage from humans and farm animals is also a type of waste. Sewage needs to be treated in a treatment plant before being used a fertiliser or released into the environment. Untreated human waste pollutes the water supply which can lead to serious disease.
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