The term “waste” in this generation raises an issue that is worth considering. In Circular Economy, waste is identified as a resource which is misplaced, and therefore more accurate to refer to it as “by-product” instead of “waste”. This idea thus follows the principle of the “zero waste” natural ecosystem, where a waste of one trophic level becomes a resource to another level, and thus ensuring a closed loop system which enables the movement of material through the system without waste. With continuous unsustainable growth of mankind, the natural ecosystem which has measures in place to ensure a no-waste cycle of material has been exchanged for an artificial man-made ecosystem by the intensification of human activities and urbanisation.
The problems associated with the man-made system are of concern to many organizations. The production of waste is an inevitable aspect of human existence, especially with increase in population and its associated problems. Versilind et. al. (2002) described waste as a consequence of everyday life – of all creatures. Everybody is responsible for the generation of waste. Every sector of the national economy – farms, mines, and factories as well as businesses, institutions, and households – contributes to the mounting mass of unwanted materials requiring disposal (Nadakavukaren, 2006). However, “municipal waste comprises waste from private households and similar institutions, as well as domestic-type waste produced by trade and industry”. Municipal waste includes, for example, household waste, separately collected bulky waste, biowaste, market waste, road-sweeping waste, paper and glass. The generation of solid waste, was a 2 result of when humans abandoned nomadic life and begun to live in communities, around 10,000 BC (Versilind et. al., 2002).
As the years went by, groups of people have resorted to various means of clearing the waste in order to make life comfortable. Today, many nations face a looming waste management crisis, as their landfills reach capacity and continue to degrade the environment (Kallman, 2008). Kallman would not be wrong in linking waste management to environmental quality and also to human health. This is because, poor waste management is manifested in the environment and also affects the health of the people around, which leads to a negative impact on the economy. So, quality environment, health and some aspects of economy could depend on the quality of waste management, i.e. how sustainable the waste is generated, collected, transported and disposed-off or recycled in an area. In order to manage waste effectively and or to ensure a closed loop system, Uriarte (2008) identifies five important stages of products which are prevention, reduction, recycling, treatment and disposal.