Waste management and urban population: Contribution to establish cause-effect relationships

Abstract

Waste management in European Union and developed countries is based on the principles of waste hierarchy. Different waste management options produced a different impact on population health and the environment. This paper is dealing with different aspects to be treated in order to determine the impact of the life cycle of waste in an urban population in order to establish a methodological approach for defining the cause - effect relationship. The starting point of research is the fact that determining the impact of waste on the urban population must be defined by: - Multidisciplinary assessment of the impact of waste status, social and economic effects, population exposure, health effects associated with the impact of different emissions in the environmental media arising from waste management; - Consideration of the specific characteristics of urban areas. Defining of the methodological approach to establish the cause-effect relationships involving waste management options and urban population is expressed through the need for the establishment and development of indicators at the local level to define the impact of waste on human health in urban areas.