Ecology & Safety, Volume 15, 2021

Abstract: Waste is an increasingly important issue globally, regionally and locally. Reducing the environmental impacts of solid waste generation will continue to be a priority of European Union (EU) environmental policy. Solid waste resulting from human activities is usually disposed of as unnecessary. As a result of the rapid growth of production and consumption, communities regularly produce more and more solid waste, which leads to an increase in the volume of waste generated from various sources. Solid waste has a high potential for pollution of all components, the environment: water, soil, air, biodiversity. Improper waste management poses considerable risks to public health, as well as additional costs in the short and long term, with negative implications for the environment, affecting ecosystems, often irrecoverable. Under these conditions, adequate solid waste management is the central pillar of long-term policies aimed at sustainable development, with priority given to minimizing the amount of waste generated, recycling, reuse and disposal of less polluting waste. However, despite the significant amount of financial resources allocated to the sector, many countries, including the European Union, face the challenge of meeting ambitious targets. For this reason, the company uses waste management, which brings aspects regarding the optimization of material flows, taking into account economic, technical and environmental parameters. This paper provides a short review of waste generation and those impact on the environment and health people.