Waste crime - waste risks

Waste covers a very wide spectrum of discarded materials ranging from municipal, electrical and electronic, industrial and agricultural, to new types including counterfeit pesticides. It also includes anything in size and scale from decommissioned ships, oil or liquid wastes, hundreds of millions of mobile phones to billions of used car tires. With rising global population, urbanisation and consumption, the amount of waste continues to increase. Additionally, illegal transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and other wastes from developed countries to developing countries have become an increasing global concern. This publication provides insight into the possible scale and features of the main drivers, along with case studies. It is not an exhaustive or fully comprehensive overview, but it intends to identify major areas of policy deficits and challenges that require further investigation, policy action and intervention for prevention and damage control, as well as to identify opportunities.