Geographical background of municipal waste disposal in developed countries

Analizirano je stanje zbrinjavanja otpada u nekim od razvijenih zemalja svijeta. Izvršena je podjela otpada prema mjestu nastanka . Članak obrađuje načine na koji se danas u svijetu nastoji riješiti problem sve veće količine otpada, ukazujući da se i pored metoda spaljivanja (incineracija) , reciklaže i kompostiranja najveći dio otpada odlaže na deponije. Pri tome se ističe da je najveći udio istih karaktera „smetlišta“. Komparativno se prikazuje utjecaj pojedinih postupaka na ekološke medije i ljudski okoliš.Status of municipal waste disposal in some developed countries is discussed in the paper. The waste is classified according to sites of its origin. The methods of waste treatment are elaborated, and special attention is payed to the fact that besides running techniques of waste incineration, recycling and composting, landfilling is the prevailing type of waste disposal practiced in concerning countries. In the most cases there is the same type of „rubbish-heaps“ prevailing everywhere. Comparative review of impact of particular waste treatment methods to the environment and human health is additionally presented in the article