Urban Waste Recycling in Developing Countries Should be Improved

Currently, the major ecological concern in developing countries (e.g. Mexico, India, China) is the poor control of urban waste (highlighted by epidemics of rubbish dumps). This is leading to unsustainable use/depleting of the Earth’s limited natural resources and the global pollution of life-supporting hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere (particularly by phosphorus and nitrogen from food waste and hazardous chemicals from electronic and plastic waste) due to water/air streams and interrelated biogeochemical cycles. At present, the major part of all urban solid waste (USW) in developing countries goes to landfills, incineration and illegal dumps that is unsustainable and risky for both human health^1,2 and the global natural environment (e.g. climate change through methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions³). Only a small part of USW in developing countries is recycled.