Abstract:
Extreme climatic events may affect the waste management sector through damage to sector and associated infrastructure, including transport infrastructure. This may disrupt both waste collection and waste management operations. Increased average temperatures may affect landfills, waste dumps and centralised waste collection sites in various ways, e.g. increased risk of fire and subsidence, increased microbial activity, increased activity of pathogens and release of bio-aerosols, increased vermin, pest and odour nuisance. Landfills and waste collection sites may also be affected by both an increase or a decrease in rainfall, with effects such as increased leachate production, reduced stability of the slopes of landfill pits, increased risk of groundwater contamination and offsite pollution, altered waste decomposition rates, etc. The collection and transport of solid waste materials may be affected by disruption in transport infrastructure as a result of extreme weather events.