Municipal waste generation

 The amount of municipal waste generated in a country is related to the rate of urbanization, the types and patterns of consumption, household revenue and lifestyles. While municipal waste is only one part of total waste generated, its management and treatment often absorbs more than one third of the public sector’s financial efforts to abate and control pollution. The main environmental concerns relate to the potential impact from inappropriate waste management on human health and the environment (soil and water contamination, air quality, and land use). The quantity of municipal waste generated in the OECD area has been rising since 1980 and exceeded 590 million tons in recent years (570 kg per capita). Generation intensity — i.e. kilograms per capita — has risen mostly in line with private final consumption expenditure and GDP, but there has been a slowdown in the rate of growth in recent years. The amount of