W

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive See: Take back laws

Waste heat Heat that is not needed at a specific location, or heat that is at too low a temperature or quality to do the work for which it was originally used. See also: Cascading energy; Recoverable waste heat

Waste management The collection, transport, processing, recycling, or disposal of waste materials. Usually refers to materials produced anthropogenically; it is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment, or aesthetics. Also used as a way to recover resources from waste. May involve solid, liquid, gaseous, or radioactive substances, with different methods and fields of expertise for each. Practices differ in developed and developing nations, in urban and rural areas, and for residential and industrial producers. Management of nonhazardous residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities; management of nonhazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator. See also: Landfill; Recycle; Waste materials; Waste reduction

Waste materials Can be classified by their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. One characteristic is consistency.