Launched in January 2021, this major study examines what happens to consumer goods and other engineered products at the end of their useful life.
It found widespread use of unsafe management and disposal practices and calls for urgent action to address the risks posed to human life and health.
Overview
The review identifies beyond doubt the immense harm caused by uncontrolled burning and dumping of waste worldwide, particularly to those in the informal recycling sector who are most exposed to the risks.
The review was conducted and coordinated by the University of Leeds with a consortium of partners, including the International Solid Waste Association, D-Waste and ISSL, supported by an international technical advisory group of experts.
The review provides a rigorous and valuable evidence base, which systematically revisits the scientific evidence on the neglected link between sound waste and resources management and the impact on human health and life.
Appendices
The main report was originally underpinned by seven appendices on the categories of engineered materials and products, and the safety of associated management and decommissioning practices, examined as part of the research. These were plastic, medical, electronic, construction and demolition waste and land disposal.
Please find below the seven appendices and the links to the journals and pre-print repository where they can be accessed:
- Plastic waste reprocessing for circular economy: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health from legacy substances and extrusion.
- Mismanagement of plastic waste through open burning in the Global South: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health.
- Medical and healthcare waste generation, storage, treatment and disposal: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health.
- Construction and demolition waste management: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health.
- Physical processing, dismantling and hydrometallurgical treatment of e-waste: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health.
- Thermal deconstruction, open burning and disposal of e-waste without pollution control: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health.
- From dumpsites to engineered landfills: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health.
Future work
The Safer End of Engineered Life programme will build on the review's recommendations and develop activities to raise awareness of the global safety challenges associated with the burning of waste, the management of dumpsites and ways to give protection to informal workers. We began by convening a multidisciplinary community of practitioners, academics, policy makers and related stakeholders to develop holistic, strategic ways to address the impact on human health and safety in a January workshop.