Solid Waste Management is defined as the discipline associated with the control of generation, storage, collection, transportation or transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste materials in a manner that better addresses the range of public health, conservation, economy, aesthetics , engineering and other environmental considerations.
In its scope of application, solid waste management includes planning, administrative, financial, engineering and legal functions. Solutions can include complex interdisciplinary relationships between fields such as public health, urban and regional planning, political science, geography, sociology, economics, communication and conservation, demography, engineering, and materials science.
Solid waste management practices may differ for residential and industrial producers, for urban and rural areas, and for developed and developing countries. The management of non-hazardous waste in metropolitan areas is the responsibility of local government authorities. On the other hand, the management of hazardous waste is usually the generator's task, subject to local, national and even international authorities.
It is the collection, treatment and disposal of solid material that is discarded because it has fulfilled its purpose or is no longer useful. Inadequate disposal of municipal solid waste can create unhealthy conditions and these conditions can lead to environmental contamination and outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, ie diseases spread by rodents and insects. Solid waste management tasks pose complex technical challenges. They also pose a wide variety of administrative, economic and social problems that must be handled and resolved.