This article is about material waste. For the medical condition, see Wasting. For other uses, see Waste (disambiguation).
«Refuse» redirects here. For other meanings of this word, see Refusal.
Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste product may become a by-product, joint product or resource through an invention that raises a waste product’s value above zero.
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
What constitutes waste depends on the eye of the beholder; one person’s waste can be a resource for another person.[1] Though waste is a physical object, its generation is a physical and psychological process.[1] The definitions used by various agencies are as below.
United Nations Environment Program
According to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal of 1989, Art. 2(1), «‘Wastes’ are substance or objects, which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of national law».[2]
United Nations Statistics Division
The UNSD Glossary of Environment Statistics[3] describes waste as «materials that are not prime products (that is, products produced for the market) for which the generator has no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of production, transformation or consumption, and of which he/she wants to dispose. Wastes may be generated during the extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw materials into intermediate and final products, the consumption of final products, and other human activities. Residuals recycled or reused at the place of generation are excluded.»
European Union
Under the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, Art. 3(1), the European Union defines waste as «an object the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard.»[4] For a more structural description of the Waste Directive, see the European Commission’s summary.
Types of Waste
Municipal Waste
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development also known as OECD defines municipal solid waste (MSW) as “waste collected and treated by or for municipalities”. [5] Typically this type of waste includes household waste, commercial waste, and demolition or construction waste. In 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that 292.4 tons of municipal waste was generated which equated to about 4.9 pounds per day per person. Out of the 292.4 tons, approximately 69 million tons were recycled, and 25 million tons were composted. [6]
Household Waste and Commercial Waste
Household waste more commonly known as trash or garbage are items that are typically thrown away daily from ordinary households. Items often included in this category include product packaging, yard waste, clothing, food scraps, appliance, paints, and batteries.[7] Most of the items that are collected by municipalities end up in landfills across the world. In the United States, it is estimated that 11.3 million tons of textile waste is generated. On an individual level, it is estimated that the average American throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes each year.[8] As online shopping becomes more prevalent, items such as cardboard, bubble wrap, shipping envelopes are ending up in landfills across the United States. The EPA has estimated that approximately 10.1 million tons of plastic containers and packaging ended up landfills in 2018. The EPA noted that only 30.5% of plastic containers and packaging was recycled or combusted as an energy source. Additionally, approximately 940,000 pounds of cardboard ends up in the landfill each year.[9]
Commercial waste is very similar to household waste. To be considered as commercial waste, it must come from a business or commercial occupancy. This can be restaurants, retail occupants, manufacturing occupants or similar businesses. Typically, commercial waste contains similar items such as food scraps, cardboard, paper, and shipping materials.[10] Generally speaking, commercial waste creates more waste than household waste on a per location basis.
Construction and Demolition Waste
The EPA defines this type of waste as “Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris is a type of waste that is not included in municipal solid waste (MSW).”[11] Items typically found in C&D include but are not limited to steel, wood products, drywall and plaster, brick and clay tile, asphalt shingles, concrete, and asphalt. Generally speaking, construction and demolition waste can be categorized as any components needed to build infrastructures. In 2018, the EPA estimated that the US generated approximately 600 million tons of C&D waste. [11] The waste generated by construction and demolition is often intended to be reused or is sent to the landfill. Examples of reused waste is milled asphalt can be used again for the asphalt mixture or fill dirt can be used to level grade.
Hazardous Waste
The EPA defines hazardous waste as “a waste with properties that make it dangerous or capable of having a harmful effect on human health or the environment.”[12] Hazardous Waste falls under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Under the RCRA, the EPA has the authority to control hazardous waste during its entire lifecycle. [13]This means from the point of creation to the point where it has been properly disposed of. The life cycle of hazardous waste includes generation, transportation, treatment, and storage and disposal. All of which are included in the RCRA. Some forms of hazardous waste include radioactive waste, explosive waste, and electronic waste.
Radioactive Waste
Radioactive waste, often referred to as nuclear waste, is produced by various industries such as nuclear power plants, nuclear reactors, hospitals, research centers, and mining facilities. Any activity that involves radioactive material can generate radioactive waste.[14] Furthermore, such waste emits radioactive particles, which if not handled correctly, can be both an environmental hazard as well as a human health hazard.[14] When dealing with radioactive waste, it is extremely important to understand the necessary protocols and follow the correct precautions. Failure to handle and recycle these materials can have catastrophic consequences and potentially damage the site’s ecosystems for years to come.[14]
Radioactive waste is monitored and regulated by multiple governmental agencies such as Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Department of the Interior (DOI). Each agency plays an important role in creating, handling, and properly disposing of radioactive waste. A brief description of each agency’s role can be found below.
NRC: “Licenses and regulates the receipt and possession of high-level waste at privately owned facilities and at certain DOE facilities.” [15]
DOE: “Plans and carries out programs for sand handling of DOE-generated radioactive wastes, develops waste disposal technologies, and will design, construct and operate disposal facilities for DOE-generated and commercial high-level wastes.”[15]
EPA: “Develops environmental standards and federal radiation protection guidance for offsite radiation due to the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level and transuranic radioactive wastes.”[15]
DOT: “Regulates both the packaging and carriage of all hazardous materials including radioactive waste.”[15]
DOI: “Through the U.S. Geological Survey, conducts laboratory and field geologic investigations in support of DOE’s waste disposal programs and collaborates with DOE on earth science technical activities.”[15]
The US currently defines five types of radioactive waste, as shown below.
High-level Waste: This type of radioactive waste is generated from nuclear reactors or reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.[14]
Transuranic Waste: This type of radioactive waste is man-made and has an atomic number of 92 or higher.[14]
Uranium or thorium mill tailings: This type of radioactive waste is a result after the mining or milling or uranium or thorium ore.[14]
Low-level waste: This type of radioactive waste is radioactively contaminated waste. It is typically generated from industrial processes or research. Examples of these items include paper, protective clothing, bags, and cardboard.[14]
Technologically enhanced naturally-occurring radioactive material (TENORM): This type of radioactive waste is created through human activity such as mining, oil and gas drilling, and water treatment where naturally-occurring radiological material (NORM) becomes concentrated.[14]
Energetic Hazardous Waste
The EPA defines energetic hazardous waste as “wastes that have the potential to detonate and bulk military propellants which cannot safely be disposed of through other modes of treatments.”[16] The items which typically fall under this category include munitions, fireworks, flares, hobby rockets, and automobile propellants.
Munitions
Munitions were added to hazardous waste in 1997 when the EPA finalized RCRA. A special rule was added to address munitions in waste. This new rule is commonly referred to as the Military Munitions Rule.[16] The EPA defines military munitions as “all types of both conventional and chemical ammunition products and their components, produced by or for the military for national defense and security (including munitions produced by other parties under contract to or acting as an agent for DOD—in the case of Government Owned/Contractor Operated [GOCO] operations).” [16] The entire rule can be found here. While a large percentage of munitions waste is generated by the government or governmental contractors, residents also throw away expired or faulty ammunition inside their household waste.
Fireworks, Flares, and Hobby Rockets
Every year, the US generates this type of waste from both the commercial and consumer aspects. This waste is often generated from fireworks, signal flares and hobby rockets which have been damaged, failed to operate or for other reasons. Due to their chemical properties, these types of devices are extremely dangerous.
Automobile Airbag Propellants
While automobile airbag propellants are not as common as munitions and fireworks, they share similar properties which makes them extremely hazardous. Airbag propellants characteristics of reactivity and ignitability are the characteristics which qualify for hazardous waste. When disposed undeployed, leaves these two hazardous characteristics intact. To properly dispose of these items, they must be safely deployed which removes these hazardous characteristics.[17]
The EPA includes the waste of automobile airbag propellants under the RCRA. In 2018, the EPA issued a final rule on handling of automobile airbag propellants. The “interim final rule”provides an exemption of entities which install and remove airbags. This includes automobile dealerships, salvage yards, automobile repair facilities and collision centers. The handler and transporter are exempt from RCRA, but the airbag waste collection facility is not exempt. Once the airbags have met the collection center, it will then be classified as RCRA hazardous waste and must be disposed or recycled at a RCRA disposal facility.[17]
Electronic Waste
Electronic waste, often referred to as “E-Waste” or “E-Scrap,” are often thrown away or sent to a recycler. E-Waste continues to end up in landfills across the world. The EPA estimates that in 2009, 2.37 million tons of televisions, computers, cell phones, printers, scanners, and fax machines were discarded by US consumers. Only 25% of these devices were recycled; the remainder ended up in landfills across the US.
E-Waste contains many elements that can be recycled or re-used. Typically speaking, electronics are encased in a plastic or light metal enclosure. Items such as computer boards, wiring, capacitors, and small motor items are common types of E-waste. Of these items, the internal components include oil, iron, gold, palladium, platinum, and copper. All of which are mined from the earth’s core. For these items to be mined, it requires massive amounts of energy to operate the equipment, which emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Donating e-waste to recycling centers or refurbishing this equipment can reduce the greenhouse gases emitted through the mining process. It will also lower the usage of our naturally formed products to ensure future generations will have sufficient natural resources.
As this issue continued to grow, President Obama established the Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship in November 2010. The overall goal for this task was to develop a national strategy for handling and proper disposal of electronic waste. The task force would work with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), EPA, and the US General Services Administration (GSA). The task force released the final product, the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship report. The report focuses on four goals of the federal government’s plan to enhance the management of electronics, as shown below.[18]
1. Incentivizing greener design of electronics
2. Leading by example
3. Increasing domestic recycling
4. Reducing harmful exports of e-waste and building capacity in developing countries.[18]
E-Waste is not only a problem in the US, but also a global issue. To tackle this issue, requires collaboration from multiple agencies across the world. Some agencies include U.S. EPA, Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA), International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN), and environmental offices from Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and North America.[19]
Mixed Waste
Mixed waste is a term that has different definitions based its context. Most commonly, Mixed Waste refers to hazardous waste which contains radioactive material. In this context, the management of mixed waste is regulated by the EPA and RCRA and Atomic Energy Act. The Hazardous materials content is regulated by RCRA while the radiological component is regulated by the Department of Energy (DOE) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Mixed waste can also be defined as a type of waste which includes recyclable materials and organic materials.[20] Some examples of mixed waste in this context include a combination of broken glassware, floor sweepings, non-repairable household goods, non-recyclable plastic and metal, and clothing and furnishings. Additionally, ashes and soot, residential renovation waste materials are also included under this definition.[20]
Medical Waste
This type of waste is typically generated from hospitals, physicians’ offices, dental practices, blood banks, veterinary offices, and research facilities. This waste has often been contaminated with bodily fluids from humans or animals. Examples of this type of contamination can include blood, vomit, urine, and other bodily fluids. Concerns started to generate when medical waste was appearing on east coast beaches in the 1980’s. This forced congress to pass the Medical Waste Tracking Act. This act was only in effect for approximately 3 years after the EPA concluded the “disease-causing medical waste was greatest at the point of generation and naturally tapers off after that point.”[21]
Prior to the Hospital Medical Infectious Waste Incinerator (HMIWI) standard, approximately 90% of the infectious waste was incinerated before 1997. Due to the potential of negatively affect air quality, alternative treatment and disposal technologies for medical waste was developed. These new alternatives include:
- Thermal Treatment, such as microwave technologies
- Steam sterilization, such as autoclaving
- Electropyrolysis
- Chemical mechanical systems [21]
Reporting
Waste generation, measured in kilograms per person per day.
There are many issues that surround reporting waste. It is most commonly measured by size or weight, and there is a stark difference between the two. For example, organic waste is much heavier when it is wet, and plastic or glass bottles can have different weights but be the same size.[22] On a global scale it is difficult to report waste because countries have different definitions of waste and what falls into waste categories, as well as different ways of reporting. Based on incomplete reports from its parties, the Basel Convention estimated 338 million tonnes of waste was generated in 2001.[23] For the same year, OECD estimated 4 billion tonnes from its member countries.[24] Despite these inconsistencies, waste reporting is still useful on a small and large scale to determine key causes and locations, and to find ways of preventing, minimizing, recovering, treating, and disposing waste.
Costs
Environmental costs
Inappropriately managed waste can attract rodents and insects, which can harbour gastrointestinal parasites, yellow fever, worms, the plague and other conditions for humans, and exposure to hazardous wastes, particularly when they are burned, can cause various other diseases including cancers. [25]Toxic waste materials can contaminate surface water, groundwater, soil, and air which causes more problems for humans, other species, and ecosystems.[26] A form of waste disposal involving combustion creates a significant amount of greenhouse gases. When the burned waste contains metals, it can create toxic gases. On the other hand, when the waste contains plastics, the gases produce contain CO2.[27] As global warming and CO2 emission increase, soil begins to become a larger carbon sink and will become increasingly volatile for our plant life. [28]
Waste management is a significant environmental justice issue. Many of the environmental burdens cited above are more often borne by marginalized groups, such as racial minorities, women, and residents of developing nations. NIMBY (not in my back yard) is the opposition of residents to a proposal for a new development because it is close to them.[29] However, the need for expansion and siting of waste treatment and disposal facilities is increasing worldwide. There is now a growing market in the transboundary movement of waste, and although most waste that flows between countries goes between developed nations, a significant amount of waste is moved from developed to developing nations.[30]
Economic costs
The economic costs of managing waste are high, and are often paid for by municipal governments;[31] money can often be saved with more efficiently designed collection routes, modifying vehicles, and with public education. Environmental policies such as pay as you throw can reduce the cost of management and reduce waste quantities. Waste recovery (that is, recycling, reuse) can curb economic costs because it avoids extracting raw materials and often cuts transportation costs. «Economic assessment of municipal waste management systems – case studies using a combination of life-cycle assessment (LCA) and life-cycle costing (LCC)».[32] The location of waste treatment and disposal facilities often reduces property values due to noise, dust, pollution, unsightliness, and negative stigma. The informal waste sector consists mostly of waste pickers who scavenge for metals, glass, plastic, textiles, and other materials and then trade them for a profit. This sector can significantly alter or reduce waste in a particular system, but other negative economic effects come with the disease, poverty, exploitation, and abuse of its workers.[33]
Affecting communities
People in developing countries suffer from contaminated water and landfills caused by unlawful government policies that allow first-world countries and companies to transport their trash to their homes and oftentimes near bodies of water. Those same governments do not use any waste trade profits to create ways to manage landfills or clean water sources. Photographer Kevin McElvaney[34] documents the world’s biggest e-waste dump called Agbogbloshie in Accra, Ghana, which used to be a wetland. The young men and children that work in Agbogbloshie smash devices to get to the metals, obtain burns, eye damage, lung and back problems, chronic nausea, debilitating headaches, and respiratory problems and most workers die from cancer in their 20s (McElvaney).[34]In McElvaney’s photos, kids in fields burning refrigerators and computers with blackened hands and trashed clothes and animals, such as cows with open wounds, in the dumpsite. There are piles of waste used as makeshift bridges over lakes, with metals and chemicals just seeping into the water and groundwater that could be linked to homes’ water systems. The same unfortunate situation and dumps/landfills can be seen in similar countries that are considered the third world, such as other West African countries and China. Many Advocating for waste management, stop waste trade, create wastewater treatment facilities, and ultimately provide a clean and accessible water source. The health of all these people in landfills and water are human necessities/rights that are being taken away.[34]
Management
A specialized trash collection truck providing regular municipal trash collection in a neighborhood in Stockholm, Sweden
Waste pickers burning e-waste in Agbogbloshie, a site near Accra in Ghana that processes large volumes of international electronic waste. The pickers burn the plastics off of materials, and collect the metals for recycling. However this process exposes pickers and their local communities to toxic fumes.
Containers for consumer waste collection at the Gdańsk University of Technology
A recycling and waste-to-energy plant for waste that is not exported
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.[35]
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, economic mechanisms.
Waste can be solid, liquid, or gases and each type has different methods of disposal and management. Waste management deals with all types of waste, including industrial, biological, household, municipal, organic, biomedical, radioactive wastes. In some cases, waste can pose a threat to human health.[36] Health issues are associated throughout the entire process of waste management. Health issues can also arise indirectly or directly: directly through the handling of solid waste, and indirectly through the consumption of water, soil and food. Waste is produced by[37] human activity, for example, the extraction and processing of raw materials.[38] Waste management is intended to reduce adverse effects of waste on human health, the environment, planetary resources and aesthetics.
The aim of waste management is to reduce the dangerous effects of such waste on the environment and human health. A big part of waste management deals with municipal solid waste, which is created by industrial, commercial, and household activity.
Waste management practices are not uniform among countries (developed and developing nations); regions (urban and rural areas), and residential and industrial sectors can all take different approaches.[39]
Proper management of waste is important for building sustainable and liveable cities, but it remains a challenge for many developing countries and cities. A report found that effective waste management is relatively expensive, usually comprising 20%–50% of municipal budgets. Operating this essential municipal service requires integrated systems that are efficient, sustainable, and socially supported.[40] A large portion of waste management practices deal with municipal solid waste (MSW) which is the bulk of the waste that is created by household, industrial, and commercial activity.[41] According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), municipal solid waste is expected to reach approximately 3.4 Gt by 2050; however, policies and lawmaking can reduce the amount of waste produced in different areas and cities of the world.[42] Measures of waste management include measures for integrated techno-economic mechanisms[43] of a circular economy, effective disposal facilities, export and import control[44][45] and optimal sustainable design of products that are produced.
In the first systematic review of the scientific evidence around global waste, its management and its impact on human health and life, authors concluded that about a fourth of all the municipal solid terrestrial waste is not collected and an additional fourth is mismanaged after collection, often being burned in open and uncontrolled fires – or close to one billion tons per year when combined. They also found that broad priority areas each lack a «high-quality research base», partly due to the absence of «substantial research funding», which motivated scientists often require.[46][47] Electronic waste (ewaste) includes discarded computer monitors, motherboards, mobile phones and chargers, compact discs (CDs), headphones, television sets, air conditioners and refrigerators. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2017, India generates ~ 2 million tonnes (Mte) of e-waste annually and ranks fifth among the e-waste producing countries, after the United States, the People’s Republic of China, Japan and Germany.[48]
Wastewater facilities
Wastewater treatment facilities remove pollutants and contaminants physically and chemically to clean water to be returned to society. The South Gippsland Water Organization breaks down the three steps of waste-water treatment. The primary treatment is to sift through the water to remove large solids to leave oils and small particles in the water. Secondary treatment to dissolve/remove oils, particles, and micro-organisms from the water to be prepared for tertiary treatment to chemically disinfect the water with chlorine or with UV light. “For most industrial applications, a 150,000 GPD capacity WWTS would cost an estimated $500,000 to $1.5 million inclusive of all necessary design, engineering, equipment, installation, and startup”[49]. With such a simple solution that has been proven to clean our water to be reused and is relatively inexpensive, there is no excuse why there should not be a waste-water treatment facility in every country, every state, and every town.
Benefits
“Right now, according to a NASA-led study, many of the world’s freshwater sources are being drained faster than they are being replenished. The water table is dropping all over the world. There’s not an infinite supply of water”.[50] There is a need to preserve every resource, every finite water source that we do have left to maintain our lives and lifestyles. Able countries helping under-developed countries with their creation of wastewater treatments benefits society. With the addition of wastewater treatment facilities with spending a few million dollars and infrastructure to clean our areas and freshwater to reuse instead of over-using our land and water supply, which would be the greatest cost. Another cost of not adding wastewater treatments in countries is that people have no choice but to clean with, cook with, or drink the contaminated water which has caused millions of disease cases and deaths. “Between 400,000 and 1 million people die each year in developing countries because of diseases caused by mismanaged waste, estimates poverty charity Tearfund”[51]. Society has the means to decrease or even eliminate this way of death and save millions of lives by providing the simple human necessity of clean water.
Utilization
Resource recovery
Resource recovery is using wastes as an input material to create valuable products as new outputs. The aim is to reduce the amount of waste generated, thereby reducing the need for landfill space, and optimising the values created from waste.[52] Resource recovery delays the need to use raw materials in the manufacturing process. Materials found in municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste,[53] commercial waste and industrial wastes can be used to recover resources for the manufacturing of new materials and products. Plastic, paper, aluminium, glass and metal are examples of where value can be found in waste.
Resource recovery goes further than just the management of waste. Resource recovery is part of a circular economy, in which the extraction of natural resources and generation of wastes are minimised, and in which materials and products are designed more sustainably for durability, reuse, repairability, remanufacturing and recycling.[54] Life-cycle analysis (LCA) can be used to compare the resource recovery potential of different treatment technologies.
Resource recovery can also be an aim in the context of sanitation. Here, the term refers to approaches to recover the resources that are contained in wastewater and human excreta (urine and feces). The term «toilet resources» has come into use recently.[55] Those resources include: nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), organic matter, energy and water. This concept is also referred to as ecological sanitation. Separation of waste flows can help make resource recovery simpler. Examples include keeping urine separate from feces (as in urine diversion toilets) and keeping greywater and blackwater separate.
People who earn their living by collecting and sorting garbage and selling them for recycling (waste pickers), Smokey Mountain, Philippines.
Energy recovery
Energy recovery from waste is using non-recyclable waste materials and extracting from it heat, electricity, or energy through a variety of processes, including combustion, gasification, pyrolyzation, and anaerobic digestion.[56] This process is referred to as waste-to-energy.
There are several ways to recover energy from waste. Anaerobic digestion is a naturally occurring process of decomposition where organic matter is reduced to a simpler chemical component in the absence of oxygen.[56] Incineration or direct controlled burning of municipal solid waste to reduce waste and make energy. Secondary recovered fuel is the energy recovery from waste that cannot be reused or recycled from mechanical and biological treatment activities.[56] Pyrolysis involves heating of waste, with the absence of oxygen, to high temperatures to break down any carbon content into a mixture of gaseous and liquid fuels and solid residue.[56] Gasification is the conversion of carbon rich material through high temperature with partial oxidation into a gas stream.[56] Plasma arc heating is the very high heating of municipal solid waste to temperatures ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 °C, where energy is released by an electrical discharge in an inert atmosphere.[56]
Using waste as fuel can offer important environmental benefits. It can provide a safe and cost-effective option for wastes that would normally have to be dealt with through disposal.[56] It can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by diverting energy use from fossil fuels, while also generating energy and using waste as fuel can reduce the methane emissions generated in landfills by averting waste from landfills.[56]
There is some debate in the classification of certain biomass feedstock as wastes. Crude Tall Oil (CTO), a co-product of the pulp and papermaking process, is defined as a waste or residue in some European countries when in fact it is produced “on purpose” and has significant value add potential in industrial applications. Several companies use CTO to produce fuel,[57] while the pine chemicals industry maximizes it as a feedstock “producing low-carbon, bio-based chemicals” through cascading use.[58]
Education and awareness
Education and awareness in the area of waste and waste management is increasingly important from a global perspective of resource management. The Talloires Declaration is a declaration for sustainability concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the depletion of natural resources. Local, regional, and global air pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destruction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of the ozone layer and emission of «green house» gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. Several universities have implemented the Talloires Declaration by establishing environmental management and waste management programs, e.g. the waste management university project. University and vocational education are promoted by various organizations, e.g. WAMITAB and Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.
Gallery
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Vegetable waste being dumped in a market in Hyderabad
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Weapon scraps
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Agobox; Bio-medical Waste
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Waste collected in a tricycle
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used cigarette boxes
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Containers for selective waste collection at the Gdańsk University of Technology
See also
- Biological hazard
- Chemical hazards
- Environmental dumping
- Fly-tipping
- Garbage truck
- Global waste trade
- Human waste
- List of waste management acronyms
- Litter
- Midden
- Recycling
- Scrap
- Waste Atlas
- Waste by country
- Waste collection
- Waste converter
- Waste management
References
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- ^ Glossary of Environment Statistics Archived 2013-01-04 at the Wayback Machine. 1997. UNSD. Updated web version 2001.
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- ^ «What method of waste disposal is best for the climate?». MIT Climate Portal. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
- ^ Kirschbaum, Miko U.F. (2000-01-01). «Will changes in soil organic carbon act as a positive or negative feedback on global warming?». Biogeochemistry. 48 (1): 21–51. doi:10.1023/A:1006238902976. ISSN 1573-515X. S2CID 97491270.
- ^ Wolsink, M. «Entanglement of interests and motives: Assumptions behind the NIMBY-theory on Facility Siting.» Urban Studies 31.6 (1994): 851-866.
- ^ Ray, A. «Waste management in developing Asia: Can trade and cooperation help?» The Journal of Environment & Development 17.1 (2008): 3-25.
- ^ “Muck and brass: The waste business smells of money.” The Economist. 2009 02 28. pp. 10-12.
- ^ Journal of Cleaner Production 13 (2005): 253-263.
- ^ Wilson, D.C.; Velis, C.; Cheeseman, C. «Role of informal sector recycling in waste management in developing countries.» Habitat International 30 (2006): 797-808.
- ^ a b c «Agbogbloshie: the world’s largest e-waste dump – in pictures». The Guardian. 2014-02-27. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ «United Nations Statistics Division – Environment Statistics». unstats.un.org. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ «Editorial Board/Aims & Scope». Waste Management. 34 (3): IFC. March 2014. doi:10.1016/S0956-053X(14)00026-9.
- ^ Giusti, L. (2009-08-01). «A review of waste management practices and their impact on human health». Waste Management. 29 (8): 2227–2239. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2009.03.028. ISSN 0956-053X. PMID 19401266. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ «United Nations Statistics Division — Environment Statistics». unstats.un.org. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Davidson, Gary (June 2011). «Waste Management Practices: Literature Review» (PDF). Dalhousie University – Office of Sustainability. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ «Solid Waste Management». World Bank. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- ^ «Glossary of environmental and waste management terms». Handbook of Solid Waste Management and Waste Minimization Technologies. Butterworth-Heinemann. 2003. pp. 337–465. doi:10.1016/B978-075067507-9/50010-3. ISBN 9780750675079.
- ^ «Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change». www.ipcc.ch. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ Gollakota, Anjani R. K.; Gautam, Sneha; Shu, Chi-Min (1 May 2020). «Inconsistencies of e-waste management in developing nations – Facts and plausible solutions». Journal of Environmental Management. 261: 110234. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110234. ISSN 0301-4797. PMID 32148304. S2CID 212641354. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Elegba, S. B. (2006). «Import/export control of radioactive sources in Nigeria». Safety and security of radioactive sources: Towards a global system for the continuous control of sources throughout their life cycle. Proceedings of an international conference. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ «E –Waste Management through Regulations» (PDF). International Journal of Engineering Inventions. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ «Health crisis: Up to a billion tons of waste potentially burned in the open every year». phys.org. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ Cook, E.; Velis, C. A. (6 January 2021). «Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life». Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ R. Dhana, Raju (2021). «Waste Management in India – An Overview» (PDF). United International Journal for Research & Technology (UIJRT). 02 (7): 175–196. eISSN 2582-6832. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ «How Much Does an Industrial Water Treatment System Cost?». Samco Tech. 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ Smedley, Tim. «Is the world running out of fresh water?». www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ «This is what the world’s waste does to people in poorer countries». World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ Iacovidou, Eleni; Millward-Hopkins, Joel; Busch, Jonathan; Purnell, Philip; Velis, Costas A.; Hahladakis, John N.; Zwirner, Oliver; Brown, Andrew (2017-12-01). «A pathway to circular economy: Developing a conceptual framework for complex value assessment of resources recovered from waste». Journal of Cleaner Production. 168: 1279–1288. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.002. ISSN 0959-6526.
- ^ Miller, Norman (2021-12-16). «The industry creating a third of the world’s waste». www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Velenturf, Anne P. M.; Archer, Sophie A.; Gomes, Helena I.; Christgen, Beate; Lag-Brotons, Alfonso J.; Purnell, Phil (2019-11-01). «Circular economy and the matter of integrated resources». Science of the Total Environment. 689: 963–969. Bibcode:2019ScTEn.689..963V. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.449. ISSN 0048-9697. PMID 31280177.
- ^ «The Sanitation Economy». Toilet Board Coalition. 26 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h IGD (2007). «Energy Recovery and Disposal». Archived from the original on 2014-04-07.
- ^ «Biofuels: Wasted Energy». Oliver, Christian, Financial Times. April 15, 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
- ^ «Crude tall oil feed stocks cannot be considered ‘waste’«. Moran, Kevin, Financial Times. April 30, 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to Waste.
Media related to Waste at Wikimedia Commons- Waste at Curlie
- Cambio verde: waste-food exchange project in Curitiba, Brazil Archived 2014-03-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Resource Productivity and Waste at the OECD
Media related to Waste at Wikimedia Commons- waste
- 1. сущ.
1)
общ.
растрачивание, расточительство
waste of time — напрасная трата времени
What a waste of energy! — Какая пустая [бессмысленная] трата сил!
See:
2)
а)
эк.
отходы; отбросы; мусор
Syn:
See:
consumer waste, waste management, waste collection, waste removal, waste treatment and disposal, domestic waste, industrial waste, defective goods, spoilage, hazardous wastes, radioactive wastes, toxic wastes, city waste, consumer waste, farm waste, food waste, abnormal waste, garbage
Syn:
See:
3)
,
редк.
потери, убыток, убыль; ущерб
waste of potential revenue — потеря потенциальных доходов
See:
2. прил.
1)
общ.
отработанный; ненужный
waste products — отходы
2)
с.-х.
пустынный; невозделанный, необработанный
waste ground — пустырь
3. гл.
1)
общ.
расточать, растрачивать
to waste time — терять время
2)
общ.
упустить , не воспользоваться
he could not waste an opportunity to talk with her — он не мог упустить возможность поговорить с ней
* * *
1) отходы, ненужный результат определенного процесса;
2) несанкционированное или неэффективное использование собственности ее арендатором без консультаций с владельцем;
3) растрачивание, излишняя трата, расточительство, потери, ущерб;
4) мусор;
5) пустошь, бесхозная земля.* * *
Реклама
Англо-русский экономический словарь.
Полезное
Смотреть что такое «waste» в других словарях:
-
Waste — Waste, is an unwanted or undesired material or substance. It is also referred to as rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk depending upon the type of material and the regional terminology. In living organisms, waste relates to unwanted substances or… … Wikipedia
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waste — n 1: destruction of or damage to property that is caused by the act or omission of one (as a lessee, mortgagor, or life tenant) having a lesser estate and is usu. to the injury of another (as an heir, mortgagee, or remainderman) with an interest… … Law dictionary
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WASTE — WASTE … Википедия
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Waste — Waste, a. [OE. wast, OF. wast, from L. vastus, influenced by the kindred German word; cf. OHG. wuosti, G. w[ u]st, OS. w?sti, D. woest, AS. w[=e]ste. Cf. {Vast}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Desolate; devastated; stripped; bare; hence, dreary; dismal;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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waste — [wāst] vt. wasted, wasting [ME wasten < NormFr waster < L vastare, to lay waste, devastate (< vastus: see VAST): infl. by Gmc * wostjan > OHG wuosten] 1. to destroy; devastate; ruin 2. to wear away; consume gradually; use up 3. to… … English World dictionary
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Waste — Waste, n. [OE. waste; cf. the kindred AS. w[=e]sten, OHG. w[=o]st[=i], wuost[=i], G. w[ u]ste. See {Waste}, a. & v.] [1913 Webster] 1. The act of wasting, or the state of being wasted; a squandering; needless destruction; useless consumption or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
-
waste — n 1 Waste, desert, badlands, wilderness can mean a tract or region of land not usable for cultivation or general habitation. Waste is the general term applicable to a tract or region which because of natural features (as poor stony soil,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
-
waste — ► VERB 1) use carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose. 2) fail to make full or good use of. 3) (be wasted on) be unappreciated by. 4) (often waste away) become progressively weaker and more emaciated. 5) literary lay waste to. 6) … English terms dictionary
-
Waste — Waste, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wasted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wasting}.] [OE. wasten, OF. waster, guaster, gaster, F. g[^a]ter to spoil, L. vastare to devastate, to lay waste, fr. vastus waste, desert, uncultivated, ravaged, vast, but influenced by a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
-
WASTE — (auch W.A.S.T.E.) ist ein P2P Filesharing Programm für kleine Arbeitsgruppen mit bis zu 50 Benutzern. Es besitzt integrierte Benachrichtigungsfunktionen, die an Instant Messaging und IRC erinnern (Liste mit angemeldeten Benutzern, Chaträume für… … Deutsch Wikipedia
-
waste — waste; waste·ful; waste·less; waste·man; waste·ness; un·waste·fully; waste·ful·ly; waste·ful·ness; … English syllables
отходы, потери, лом, пустыня, терять, тратить впустую, негодный, отработанный
существительное ↓
- растрачивание, ненужная или излишняя трата; расточительство
waste of time — напрасная трата времени 
waste of fuel — перерасход топлива
what a waste of energy! — какая пустая /бессмысленная/ трата сил!
to go /to run/ to waste — а) тратиться непроизводительно; б) оставаться неиспользованным; в) идти в отходы
to cut to waste — а) кроить (ткань) нерасчётливо /неэкономно/; б) сл. напрасно тратить (время)
- потери, убыль; ущерб, убыток
- юр. повреждение, порча; небрежное отношение (арендатора к нанятому имуществу и т. п.)
- отходы (тж. waste products); обрезки, обрывки (бумаги и т. п.) выжимки
- концы, обтирочный материал
ещё 16 вариантов
глагол ↓
- расточать, растрачивать, непроизводительно расходовать, напрасно тратить (деньги и т. п.); терять (время и т. п.)
to waste words /breath/ — говорить на ветер
to waste one’s life — прожигать /проводить бесцельно/ жизнь
his efforts were wasted — его усилия пропали даром
to be wasted on /upon/ smb. — остаться непонятым, непризнанным, не произвести впечатления на кого-л.
actor wasted on provincial audiences — актёр, загубивший свой талант в провинциальных театрах
my joke was wasted on him — моя шутка до него не дошла
all advice will be wasted on him — давать ему советы бесполезно
- пропадать попусту; растрачиваться без пользы
turn the water off, don’t let it waste — закрой кран, чтобы вода зря не текла
- упускать
to waste an opportunity — упустить возможность
- опустошать; разорять; портить; разрушать
Roman legions wasted their country — римские легионы опустошили /разорили/ их страну
- юр. портить арендованное имущество
ещё 7 вариантов
прилагательное ↓
- пустынный; незаселённый; невозделанный; непроизводительный, неплодородный; засушливый
to lie waste — быть неиспользованной /невозделанной, необработанной/ (о земле)
waste life — бесплодно прожитая жизнь
the waste periods of history — образн. бедные событиями исторические периоды
- опустошённый
to lay waste — опустошать, разорять
to be waste — амер. сл. промотаться, сидеть без денег
- излишний, ненужный; напрасный
waste stowage /tonnage/ — мор. неиспользованный тоннаж
- негодный; бракованный
waste products — отходы (производства)
waste iron — железный лом, скрап
waste wood — щепа, отходы древесины
- тех. отработанный
waste steam — отработанный пар
waste heat — отработанное тепло
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
the trackless wastes of the desert — непроходимые и бесплодные земли пустыни
regulations on the disposal of waste — нормативные акты по утилизации отходов
the discharge of toxic waste into the sea — сброс токсичных отходов в море
the off-site disposal of harmful waste — внеплощадочная утилизация вредных отходов
to waste / spend one’s breath — пускать слова на ветер, попусту тратить слова
toxic waste dump — свалка токсичных отходов
fervent waste — знойная пустыня
to recover the waste heat — рекуперировать отбросное тепло
to waste a neutron — терять нейтрон
purposeless waste of time — бессмысленная трата времени
waste water reclamation — очистка промышленных вод
filling by waste rock — закладка попутной породы
tailings go to waste — хвосты идут в отвал
Примеры с переводом
He was not going to waste time.
Он не собирался терять время даром.
Don’t waste your money on that junk!
Не стоит тратить деньги на эту рухлядь!
I decided not to waste money on a hotel.
Я решил не тратить денег на гостиницу.
All his efforts were wasted.
Все его усилия были безрезультатны. / Все его усилия были тщетны.
Haste makes waste. посл.
Поспешишь — людей насмешишь.
The afternoon wasted away.
День угас.
Please pitch your waste paper in here.
Пожалуйста, бросайте использованную бумагу сюда.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
His talents were being wasted as a lawyer. 
…waste acreage that was not fit for anything…
Being unemployed is such a waste of your talents.
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
wastage — потери, убыль, утечка, усушка, изнашивание
wasteful — расточительный, нерасчетливый
waster — расточитель, брак, беспризорный ребенок, никудышный человек, бездомный человек
wasting — атрофия, исхудание, упадок сил, опустошительный, изнурительный
wasted — привыкший к наркотикам
wasteless — безотходный, неистощимый, неисчерпаемый
Формы слова
verb
I/you/we/they: waste
he/she/it: wastes
ing ф. (present participle): wasting
2-я ф. (past tense): wasted
3-я ф. (past participle): wasted
noun
ед. ч.(singular): waste
мн. ч.(plural): wastes
waste
to use carelessly; lose; squander: It’s not good to waste food.
Not to be confused with:
waist – the narrow middle part of an object: She wore a sash at her waist.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
waste
(wāst)
v. wast·ed, wast·ing, wastes
v.tr.
1. To use, consume, spend, or expend thoughtlessly or carelessly.
2. To cause to lose energy, strength, or vigor; exhaust, tire, or enfeeble: Disease wasted his body.
3. To fail to take advantage of or use for profit; lose: waste an opportunity.
4.
a. To destroy completely: The invaders wasted the village.
b. Slang To kill; murder.
v.intr.
1. To lose energy, strength, weight, or vigor; become weak or enfeebled: wasting away from an illness.
2. To pass without being put to use: Time is wasting.
n.
1. The act or an instance of wasting or the condition of being wasted: a waste of talent; gone to waste.
2. A place, region, or land that is uninhabited or uncultivated; a desert or wilderness.
3. A devastated or destroyed region, town, or building; a ruin.
4.
a. An unusable or unwanted substance or material, such as a waste product: industrial wastes.
b. Something, such as steam, that escapes without being used.
5. Garbage; trash.
6. The undigested residue of food eliminated from the body; excrement.
adj.
1. Regarded or discarded as worthless or useless: waste trimmings.
2. Used as a conveyance or container for refuse: a waste bin.
3. Excreted from the body: waste matter.
Idiom:
waste (one’s) breath
To gain or accomplish nothing by speaking.
[Middle English wasten, from Old North French waster, from Latin vāstāre, to make empty, from vāstus, empty; see euə- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: waste, blow1, dissipate, fritter1, squander
These verbs mean to spend or expend without restraint and often to no avail: wasted my inheritance; blew a fortune at the casino; dissipated their energies in pointless argument; frittering away her entire allowance; squandered his talent on writing jingles.
Antonym: save1
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
waste
(weɪst)
vb
1. (tr) to use, consume, or expend thoughtlessly, carelessly, or to no avail
2. (tr) to fail to take advantage of: to waste an opportunity.
3. (Medicine) (when: intr, often foll by away) to lose or cause to lose bodily strength, health, etc
4. to exhaust or become exhausted
5. (tr) to ravage
6. (tr) informal to murder or kill: I want that guy wasted by tomorrow.
n
7. the act of wasting or state of being wasted
8. a failure to take advantage of something
9. anything unused or not used to full advantage
10. anything or anyone rejected as useless, worthless, or in excess of what is required
11. garbage, rubbish, or trash
12. (Physical Geography) (usually plural) a land or region that is wild or uncultivated
13. (Physical Geography) obsolete a land or region that is devastated or ruined
14. (Physiology) physiol
a. the useless products of metabolism
b. indigestible food residue
15. (Physical Geography) disintegrated rock material resulting from erosion
16. (Law) law reduction in the value of an estate caused by act or neglect, esp by a life-tenant
adj
17. rejected as useless, unwanted, or worthless
18. produced in excess of what is required
19. not cultivated, inhabited, or productive: waste land.
20. (Physiology)
a. of or denoting the useless products of metabolism
b. of or denoting indigestible food residue
21. destroyed, devastated, or ruined
22. designed to contain or convey waste products
23. lay waste to devastate or destroy
[C13: from Anglo-French waster, from Latin vastāre to lay waste, from vastus empty]
ˈwastable adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
waste
(weɪst)
v. wast•ed, wast•ing,
n., adj. v.t.
1. to consume or use to no avail or profit; squander: to waste natural resources.
2. to fail or neglect to use.
3. to destroy or consume gradually; wear away: waves wasting the rocky shore.
4. to wear down or reduce in bodily substance or strength; emaciate; enfeeble: to be wasted by disease.
5. to devastate or ruin: a country wasted by a long futile war.
6. Slang. to kill or murder.
v.i.
7. to be consumed or employed uselessly or inadequately.
8. to become gradually used up or worn away.
9. to become physically worn, esp. emaciated or enfeebled.
10. to diminish gradually, as wealth or power; dwindle.
n.
11. useless consumption or expenditure; an act or instance of wasting: a complete waste of my time.
12. neglect, instead of use.
13. gradual impairment or decay.
14. devastation or ruin.
15. an area devastated or ruined: a blackened waste where timberland had stood.
16. anything unused, inadequately used, or unproductive.
17. desolate country, as desert.
18. something left over or superfluous: salvaging factory wastes.
19. material derived by mechanical and chemical disintegration of rock, as the detritus transported by streams, rivers, etc.
20. garbage; refuse.
21. wastes, excrement.
adj.
22. not used or in use: waste energy.
23. (of land, regions, etc.) wild; desolate.
24. (of regions, towns, etc.) in a state of desolation and ruin.
25. left over; superfluous: to utilize the waste products of manufacture.
26. rejected as useless or worthless; refuse.
27. Physiol. pertaining to material unused by or unusable to the organism.
28. designed or used to receive or carry away useless material (often in combination): a waste pipe.
Idioms:
1. go to waste, to be wasted, rather than used or consumed.
2. lay waste, to devastate; destroy.
[1150–1200; Middle English < Old North French waster (Old French g(u)aster) < Latin vāstāre, derivative of vāstus desolate; Old North French w-, Old French gu- by influence of c. Frankish *wōsti desolate (c. Old High German wuosti)]
wast′a•ble, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
waste
- wastrel — Pronounced WAYS-trul, it is either a wasteful or worthless person, derived from the verb «waste,» from Latin vastus, «desert, waste.»
- bratwurst — From German Brat, «meat without waste,» and Wurst, «sausage.»
- eat your heart out — Goes back as far as Diogenes Laertius, who credited Pythagoras with saying «Do not eat your heart»—meaning «Don’t waste your life worrying about something»—2,500 years ago.
- sullage — Waste from household sinks, showers, and baths—but not toilets; it also figuratively means filth or refuse.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Waste
- In delay we waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day —William Shakespeare
- Wasted his wealth like spittle —Stephen Vincent Benet
- Wasted more money in a day than a Boeing 747 full of proverbial welfare queens could have squandered in a century —Hodding Carter III, Wall Street Journal March 30, 1986
Carter’s simile referred to new defense spending policies.
- Wasteful as drunkenness at undue times —Robert Browning
- Wasteful as regrets —Anon
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
waist
– waste
These words are both pronounced /weɪst/.
1. ‘waist’
Waist is a noun. Your waist is the middle part of your body, above your hips.
She tied a belt around her waist.
He was naked from the waist up.
2. ‘waste’ used as a verb
Waste is most commonly a verb. If you waste time, money, or energy, you use it on something that is unimportant or unnecessary.
You‘re wasting time asking him to help – he won’t.
We wasted money on a computer that didn’t work.
3. ‘waste’ used as a noun
You can also say that something is a waste of time, money, or energy.
I’ll never do that again. It’s a waste of time.
It’s a waste of money buying a new washing machine when we could repair the old one.
Waste also refers to material that has been used and is no longer wanted, for example because the useful part has been removed.
The river was full of industrial waste.
Your kidneys help to remove waste from your body.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
waste
Past participle: wasted
Gerund: wasting
| Imperative |
|---|
| waste |
| waste |
| Present |
|---|
| I waste |
| you waste |
| he/she/it wastes |
| we waste |
| you waste |
| they waste |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I wasted |
| you wasted |
| he/she/it wasted |
| we wasted |
| you wasted |
| they wasted |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am wasting |
| you are wasting |
| he/she/it is wasting |
| we are wasting |
| you are wasting |
| they are wasting |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have wasted |
| you have wasted |
| he/she/it has wasted |
| we have wasted |
| you have wasted |
| they have wasted |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was wasting |
| you were wasting |
| he/she/it was wasting |
| we were wasting |
| you were wasting |
| they were wasting |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had wasted |
| you had wasted |
| he/she/it had wasted |
| we had wasted |
| you had wasted |
| they had wasted |
| Future |
|---|
| I will waste |
| you will waste |
| he/she/it will waste |
| we will waste |
| you will waste |
| they will waste |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have wasted |
| you will have wasted |
| he/she/it will have wasted |
| we will have wasted |
| you will have wasted |
| they will have wasted |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be wasting |
| you will be wasting |
| he/she/it will be wasting |
| we will be wasting |
| you will be wasting |
| they will be wasting |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been wasting |
| you have been wasting |
| he/she/it has been wasting |
| we have been wasting |
| you have been wasting |
| they have been wasting |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been wasting |
| you will have been wasting |
| he/she/it will have been wasting |
| we will have been wasting |
| you will have been wasting |
| they will have been wasting |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been wasting |
| you had been wasting |
| he/she/it had been wasting |
| we had been wasting |
| you had been wasting |
| they had been wasting |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would waste |
| you would waste |
| he/she/it would waste |
| we would waste |
| you would waste |
| they would waste |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have wasted |
| you would have wasted |
| he/she/it would have wasted |
| we would have wasted |
| you would have wasted |
| they would have wasted |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  waste — any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted; «they collect the waste once a week»; «much of the waste material is carried off in the sewers»
waste material, waste matter, waste product material, stuff — the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object; «coal is a hard black material»; «wheat is the stuff they use to make bread» dross, impurity — worthless or dangerous material that should be removed; «there were impurities in the water» exhaust, exhaust fumes, fumes — gases ejected from an engine as waste products body waste, excrement, excreta, excretory product, excretion — waste matter (as urine or sweat but especially feces) discharged from the body filth, skank, crud — any substance considered disgustingly foul or unpleasant sewage, sewerage — waste matter carried away in sewers or drains effluent, sewer water, wastewater — water mixed with waste matter food waste, garbage, refuse, scraps — food that is discarded (as from a kitchen) pollutant — waste matter that contaminates the water or air or soil rubbish, trash, scrap — worthless material that is to be disposed of slop — (usually plural) waste water from a kitchen or bathroom or chamber pot that has to be emptied by hand; «she carried out the sink slops» toxic industrial waste, toxic waste — poisonous waste materials; can cause injury (especially by chemical means) |
| 2. |  waste — useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly; «if the effort brings no compensating gain it is a waste»; «mindless dissipation of natural resources»
wastefulness, dissipation boondoggle — work of little or no value done merely to look busy activity — any specific behavior; «they avoided all recreational activity» waste of effort, waste of energy — a useless effort waste of material — a useless consumption of material waste of money — money spent for inadequate return; «the senator said that the project was a waste of money» waste of time — the devotion of time to a useless activity; «the waste of time could prove fatal» high life, highlife, lavishness, prodigality, extravagance — excessive spending squandering — spending resources lavishly and wastefully; «more wasteful than the squandering of time» |
|
| 3. |  waste — the trait of wasting resources; «a life characterized by thriftlessness and waste»; «the wastefulness of missed opportunities»
thriftlessness, wastefulness improvidence, shortsightedness — a lack of prudence and care by someone in the management of resources |
|
| 4. |  waste — an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation; «the barrens of central Africa»; «the trackless wastes of the desert»
barren, wasteland heathland, heath — a tract of level wasteland; uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation wild, wilderness — a wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition; «it was a wilderness preserved for the hawks and mountaineers» |
|
| 5. | waste — (law) reduction in the value of an estate caused by act or neglect
permissive waste human action, human activity, act, deed — something that people do or cause to happen law, jurisprudence — the collection of rules imposed by authority; «civilization presupposes respect for the law»; «the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order» |
|
| Verb | 1. | waste — spend thoughtlessly; throw away; «He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends»; «You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree»
squander, blow expend, use — use up, consume fully; «The legislature expended its time on school questions» blow — spend lavishly or wastefully on; «He blew a lot of money on his new home theater» burn — spend (significant amounts of money); «He has money to burn» economize, husband, economise, conserve — use cautiously and frugally; «I try to economize my spare time»; «conserve your energy for the ascent to the summit» |
| 2. | waste — use inefficiently or inappropriately; «waste heat»; «waste a joke on an unappreciative audience»
apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize — put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; «use your head!»; «we only use Spanish at home»; «I can’t use this tool»; «Apply a magnetic field here»; «This thinking was applied to many projects»; «How do you utilize this tool?»; «I apply this rule to get good results»; «use the plastic bags to store the food»; «He doesn’t know how to use a computer» |
|
| 3. | waste — get rid of; «We waste the dirty water by channeling it into the sewer»
chuck out, discard, cast aside, cast away, throw away, toss away, toss out, put away, throw out, cast out, dispose, fling, toss — throw or cast away; «Put away your worries» |
|
| 4. | waste — run off as waste; «The water wastes back into the ocean»
run off course, flow, run, feed — move along, of liquids; «Water flowed into the cave»; «the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi» |
|
| 5. | waste — get rid of (someone who may be a threat) by killing; «The mafia liquidated the informer»; «the double agent was neutralized»
do in, knock off, liquidate, neutralise, neutralize kill — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; «This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank»; «The farmer killed a pig for the holidays» |
|
| 6. |  waste — spend extravagantly; «waste not, want not»
ware, squander, consume fool away, fritter, fritter away, frivol away, fool, dissipate, shoot — spend frivolously and unwisely; «Fritter away one’s inheritance» luxuriate, wanton — become extravagant; indulge (oneself) luxuriously lavish, shower — expend profusely; also used with abstract nouns; «He was showered with praise» overspend — spend at a high rate expend, spend, drop — pay out; «spend money» splurge, fling — indulge oneself; «I splurged on a new TV» |
|
| 7. | waste — lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief; «After her husband died, she just pined away»
languish, pine away weaken — become weaker; «The prisoner’s resistance weakened after seven days» |
|
| 8. | waste — cause to grow thin or weak; «The treatment emaciated him»
emaciate, macerate debilitate, enfeeble, drain — make weak; «Life in the camp drained him» |
|
| 9. | waste — cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly; «The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion»
devastate, lay waste to, ravage, scourge, desolate ruin, destroy — destroy completely; damage irreparably; «You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank!»; «The tears ruined her make-up» ruin — reduce to ruins; «The country lay ruined after the war» |
|
| 10. | waste — become physically weaker; «Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world»
rot degenerate, deteriorate, devolve, drop — grow worse; «Her condition deteriorated»; «Conditions in the slums degenerated»; «The discussion devolved into a shouting match» gangrene, necrose, sphacelate, mortify — undergo necrosis; «the tissue around the wound necrosed» |
|
| Adj. | 1. |  waste — located in a dismal or remote area; desolate; «a desert island»; «a godforsaken wilderness crossroads»; «a wild stretch of land»; «waste places»
godforsaken, wild inhospitable — unfavorable to life or growth; «the barren inhospitable desert»; «inhospitable mountain areas» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
waste
verb
1. squander, throw away, blow (slang), run through, lavish, misuse, dissipate, fritter away, frivol away (informal) We can’t afford to waste money on another holiday.
squander save, protect, preserve, conserve, economize, husband
2. wear out, wither, deplete, debilitate, drain, undermine, exhaust, disable, consume, gnaw, eat away, corrode, enfeeble, sap the strength of, emaciate a cruel disease which wastes the muscles
noun
1. squandering, misuse, loss, expenditure, extravagance, frittering away, lost opportunity, dissipation, wastefulness, misapplication, prodigality, unthriftiness The whole project is a complete waste of time and resources.
squandering saving, economy, thrift, good housekeeping, frugality
2. rubbish, refuse, debris, sweepings, scrap, litter, garbage, trash, leftovers, offal, dross, dregs, leavings, offscourings This country produces 10 million tonnes of toxic waste every year.
adjective
2. uncultivated, wild, bare, barren, empty, devastated, dismal, dreary, desolate, unproductive, uninhabited Yarrow can be found growing wild on waste ground.
uncultivated cultivated, developed, productive, in use, fruitful, arable, verdant, habitable
lay something waste devastate, destroy, ruin, spoil, total (slang), sack, undo, trash (slang), ravage, raze, despoil, wreak havoc upon, depredate (rare) The war has laid waste large regions of the country.
waste away decline, dwindle, wither, perish, sink, fade, crumble, decay, wane, ebb, wear out, atrophy People dying from cancer grow thin and visibly waste away.
Proverbs
«It’s no use making shoes for geese»
Usage: Waste and wastage are to some extent interchangeable, but many people think that wastage should not be used to refer to loss resulting from human carelessness, inefficiency, etc.: a waste (not a wastage) of time, money, effort, etc.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
waste
verb
1. To use up foolishly or needlessly:
2. To spend (money) excessively and usually foolishly:
3. To pass (time) without working or in avoiding work:
4. To lose strength or power.Also used with away:
5. To fail to take advantage of:
6. To do away with completely and destructively:
7. To destroy completely as or as if by conquering:
8. Slang. To cause the death of:
9. Slang. To take the life of (a person or persons) unlawfully:
noun
1. Excessive or imprudent expenditure:
2. A tract of unproductive land:
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أرْض خَراب أو غَيْر خَصْبَهضَياعضَيَاعنُفايَه، فُضالَهيُبَدِّدُ
odpadplýtváníplýtvat
spildeaffalden forspildt mulighedødemarkspild
tuhlatatuhlaushukatakuihtua
otpadrasipati
pusztaság
eyîa, sóaeyîimörk, öræfi, auîneyîsla, sóunúrgangur
浪費浪費する
낭비낭비하다
atliekosdykvietėeikvojimas veltuigaišintimakulatūra
atkritumiizšķiešanaplašumišķiesttērēt
odpadpremárnenie
odpadkizapravljanjezapravljati
slösa bortsopor
ใช้ไปโดยเปล่าประโยชน์การสูญเสียโดยเปล่าประโยชน์
phung phísự phung phí
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
waste
[ˈweɪst]
n
to lay sth waste, to lay waste to sth → dévaster qch
modif
[energy, heat] → des déchets
a waste energy site → une installation de coïncinération waste materials
vt
(= use too much of) [+ money, water, fuel] → gaspiller
I don’t like wasting money → Je n’aime pas gaspiller l’argent.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
waste
vi (food) → umkommen; (skills) → verkümmern; (body) → verfallen; (strength, assets) → schwinden; waste not, want not (Prov) → spare in der Zeit, so hast du in der Not (Prov)
waste
:
waste
:
waste heat
n (from engine etc) → Abwärme f
waste heat recovery
n → Abwärmerückgewinnung f
wastepaper
n → Papierabfall m; (fig) → Makulatur f
waste
:
waste recovery
n → Abfallaufbereitung f, → Müllaufbereitung f
waste reprocessing plant
n → Abfallwiederaufbereitungsanlage f, → Müllverwertungswerk nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
waste
[weɪst]
1. adj (material) → di scarto; (food) → avanzato/a; (land, ground, in city) → abbandonato/a, desolato/a; (in country) → incolto/a
to lay waste → devastare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
waste
(weist) verb
to fail to use (something) fully or in the correct or most useful way. You’re wasting my time with all these stupid questions.
noun
1. material which is or has been made useless. industrial waste from the factories; (also adjective) waste material.
2. (the) act of wasting. That was a waste of an opportunity.
3. a huge stretch of unused or infertile land, or of water, desert, ice etc. the Arctic wastes.
ˈwastage (-tidʒ) noun
loss by wasting; the amount wasted. Of the total amount, roughly 20% was wastage.
ˈwasteful adjective
involving or causing waste. Throwing away that bread is wasteful.
ˈwastefully adverbˈwastefulness nounwaste paper
paper which is thrown away as not being useful. Offices usually have a great deal of waste paper.
wastepaper basket (ˈweispeipə)
a basket or other (small) container for waste paper. Put those old letters in the wastepaper basket.
waste pipe (ˈweispaip)
a pipe to carry off waste material, or water from a sink etc. The kitchen waste pipe is blocked.
waste away
to decay; to lose weight, strength and health etc. He is wasting away because he has a terrible disease.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
waste
→ ضَيَاع, يُبَدِّدُ plýtvání, plýtvat spild, spilde verschwenden, Verschwendung σπατάλη, σπαταλώ desperdiciar, desperdicio tuhlata, tuhlaus gaspillage, gaspiller otpad, rasipati rifiuto, sprecare 浪費, 浪費する 낭비, 낭비하다 afval, verspillen avfall, sløse (bort) odpady, zmarnować desperdiçar, desperdício расточительство, тратить впустую slösa bort, sopor ใช้ไปโดยเปล่าประโยชน์, การสูญเสียโดยเปล่าประโยชน์ israf, israf etmek phung phí, sự phung phí 浪费
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
waste
n. desperdicio, residuo, gasto inútil; merma, pérdida;
___ of time → pérdida de tiempo;
v. desperdiciar, desgastar, malgastar;
to ___ away → demacrarse, consumirse.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
waste
n desechos, residuos; hazardous — desechos or residuos peligrosos; medical — desechos or residuos médicos; metabolic — desechos or residuos metabólicos; vt desperdiciar; (money) malgastar; We don’t want to waste health care dollars..No queremos malgastar recursos sanitarios.
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
We have the total waste of $225,496,741 and this, reduced to its actual significance, means that of the total actual terminations, 83.6 per cent. was _actual waste_ and only 16.4 per cent. legitimate terminations, while the great bulk of the last item of ❋ Thomas William Lawson (1891)
Do you think that over a £billion a year in waste is a good thing in this system? ❋ Not A Sheep (2009)
OK, if 13% admin waste is not enough to establish my point, then say 40%. ❋ Nick Anthis (2006)
Growing up, the expression «waste not, want not» was branded into my brain. ❋ Hayley Linfield (2011)
Issa, the incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has been especially critical of what he calls waste in Obama’s economic stimulus spending. ❋ AP (2011)
This waste is the same for employer-based health insurance. ❋ Unknown (2009)
Presumably the cause of this waste is the government’s democratic deficit. ❋ J.H. Snider (2010)
Hopefully marvel does have a problem with this (hopefully it doesnt turn out to be something silly like an actual iron fist (tho i beleive it could work)) instead of ripping off a name why not just do a movie based on the actual character its still cool seems like a waste is all not to ❋ Unknown (2008)
The disposal of this waste is a big problem and the waste leaves a huge carbon footprint. ❋ Unknown (2008)
During the decomposition process in the biodigester, the waste is also sterilized. ❋ Unknown (2007)
Well this is what I call a waste of shuttle space. ❋ Scifirantergirl (2007)
What to do with the waste is a huge problem with nuclear power. ❋ Unknown (2005)
She is even taking on other issues, such as the Beijing Olympics, which she describes as a waste of resources in a country where millions still live without access to clean drinking water, decent education or health care. ❋ Unknown (2007)
Doreen had fetched Meg and had driven into Hertford, annoyed at what she called the waste of her precious time, but excited too, and Cora had driven herself from Kent, excited in a controlled way, anxious to get the business over and get back to her modern, split-level house with its well-kept garden and the double garage. ❋ Neels, Betty (1987)
‘Well, I dare say; but a man of very bad character, Dr. Bryerly says; and he has written to Mr. Danvers about it — for that is what they call waste, cutting down and selling the timber, and the oakbark, and burning the willows, and other trees that are turned into charcoal. ❋ Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1843)
Reform Committee, has been especially critical of what he calls waste in Obama’s economic stimulus spending. ❋ Unknown (2011)
1/ That [session] was waste2/That [trick] was waste ❋ HeDgEs18 (2005)
[Dave] you are a [waste of flesh] dont [talk to me]. ❋ Jon (2005)
Manun: Man, my [drawing] is [horrible]!!
Mike: You are suck [a waste]. ❋ Lizardman154 (2006)
I just [realized] waste was [another word] for [doop]. ❋ Speedy (2003)
[Loneliness] is [a waste] of [time] ❋ Dia Spora (2019)
Yo I Wasted Him Yo! That Mutha Fukka Be Gone Yo! Word Up G-Dog, Betta [Cova] Yo Hole For You Get Wasted By That [Mutha’s] [Bretta] Yo! ❋ Sowhatman973 (2003)
1. Laura: I cant believe he still aint got a job Paris: Hes [waste man].
Random girl walks in Random girl: i [lashed] three boys today Laura & Paris: [Errrrrr] your a waste girl.
2. Paris walks up to Rival. Paris: DEOXYRYBONUCLEIC ACID!!!!!! (this means DNA) Rival: :O Why would you do that ? Your Actually WASTE!
P.S: The two girls writing this are also actually waste! (the second version) ❋ Paris And Laura =D (2008)
I’m gonna go to [my house] and waste for [a few] [hours]. ❋ Joe (2004)
[Chuck] is going to waste [Timmy] [after school] today. ❋ BigJeff375 (2004)
He was [so drunk] that he [wasted] his [daiquiri] all over the floor. ❋ Nola2014 (2014)