Lesson 9.

Causes of Wastes
Objectives
enumerate the sources
At the end 1 of wastes; and
of this
lesson, classify waste based on
students 2 its source.
should be
able to:
Wastes can be caused by humans or originates
from the environment naturally.
Learn about it!

Causes of Waste

Natural Anthropogenic
Waste that comes from Waste produced by
the environment is humans is known as
known as natural anthropogenic waste.
waste.
Learn about it!

Anthropogenic Natural

Humans cause anthropogenic waste, whereas

natural causes lead to natural waste.
 Demographics and economic development
play a role in the amount of wastes generated
by countries.

This lesson focuses on Anthropogenic Waste.

 Learn about it!

Residential
• The wastes from
residential areas are
commonly disposed of
by the local government
and sometimes referred
to as the municipal solid
wastes (MSW).
Residential waste
 Learn about it!

Agricultural
• Agricultural sources
generate organic
wastes such as plant
and animal materials.

• Common wastes are

fertilizers and
pesticides.
Pesticides are part of agricultural waste
 Learn about it!

Commercial
• Commercial sources
include supermarkets,
restaurants, commercial
buildings, hotels, auto
mechanic workshops,
and others.

Supermarkets produce a lot of

commercial waste
 Learn about it!

Mining
• Mining wastes include the
mine tailings which are
the waste left after ore
extraction from rock,
harmful gases from
blastings, and overburden
materials.
Tailings
 Learn about it!

Industrial
• These wastes consist of
various materials such
as concrete, metals,
plastics, solvents, and
hazardous wastes such
as paints, and asbestos.

Power plant
 Learn about it!

World’s Waste Generation

AFR-Africa, EAP-East Asia & Pacific,
ECA-Eastern and Central Asia, LAC-Latin
America and the Caribbean, MENA-
Middle East and North Africa, OECD-
Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development

● Various regions across the

globe generate varying
amounts of wastes every
year due to varying levels
of income and degree of
industrialization.

Waste generation per region

 Learn about it!

Philippine Waste
● According to 2013
data, most of the waste
in the country come
from residential and
household sources.

Philippine waste
Key Points

Anthropogenic wastes are those generated from

1 various human activities.

Natural wastes are those originating from the

2 environment. These are usually wastes that are
produced by earth’s different natural phenomena.

Wastes are usually classified based on where they

3 come from.
 Check Your Understanding

Identify whether the given waste item comes

from residential, industrial, mining, commercial,
or agricultural sources.
1.sulfur dioxide
2.asbestos
3.plastic bottles
4.used syringes
5.carbon monoxide
 Challenge Yourself

Why do you think the industrial sectors

produce the greatest amount of waste all over
the world?
 Bibliography
Cunningham, William P. and Mary Ann Cunningham. 2010. Environmental Science: A Global Concern:
McGraw Hill.

Botkin, Daniel B. and Edward Keller. 2011. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet: John Wiley
and Sons Inc.

Hoornweg, Daniel and Perinaz Bhada-Tata. 2012. What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste
Management. The World Bank

National Solid Waste Management Commission. 2015. National Solid Waste Management Status Report.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Rushton, Lesley. 2003. Health Hazards and Waste Management. British Medical Bulletin

New South Wales Environment Protection Authority. “Classifying Waste”. Accessed April 23, 2017.
http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/wasteregulation/classify-waste.htm
 Bibliography

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. “Chapter 8: Types of Wastes”
Accessed April 23, 2017. http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/CH08.PDF

National Geographic. “Pollution” Accessed April 23, 2017.

http://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/pollution/

World Nuclear Association. “What are Nuclear Wastes and How are they Managed?” Accessed April 27,
2017. http://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-basics/what-are-nuclear-wastes.aspx

New South Wales Environment Protection Authority. “The Waste Hierarchy” Accessed April 28, 2017.
http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/wastestrategy/waste-hierarchy.htm