More than two in five households globally disposing of waste in dangerous uncontrolled ways, report finds

A global safety charity has released the first globally comparable dataset on household waste behaviours, highlighting the risks of uncontrolled waste disposal to the environment and human health. 

A World of Waste: risks and opportunities in household waste management is based on data on waste disposal from the latest edition of the World Risk Poll, produced by Lloyd’s Register Foundation. in consultation with waste management experts from the United Nations Environment Programme and Engineering X. The data was collected by global pollster Gallup, who conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world.

The report examines what waste materials are being produced, whether they are separated (e.g. for recycling), and whether or not waste is disposed of in a safe and controlled fashion, such as collection by local authorities. According to the data, only a third (33%) of global households both separate their waste and have it collected. Meanwhile, more than two fifths (41%) of households globally dispose of their waste in an uncontrolled fashion, the most common methods being a household member taking the waste to a local dump site (18%) and open burning (14%) – mainly due to a lack of better options. 

However, the data also highlights significant differences based on country income level. While open burning is the third most common method of waste disposal globally, behind government collection (44%) and a household member taking the waste to dump sites (18%), its prevalence rises from 14% to 37% in lower income countries. 

In 22 countries across Africa or Asia, such as Eswatini (where 77% of households report burning their waste), Cambodia (67%), Chad (64%), and Yemen (31%), it is the most common method of waste disposal – with potentially disastrous consequences. It is estimated that up to one million people die each year in lower-income countries from diseases related to mismanaged waste, of which open burning is a core part.1

Professor Desta Mebratu of Stellenbosch University, who leads Engineering X’s 'Africa Roadmap for Transformative Action on Waste', said: "Open burning of waste is mainly driven by a deficient waste management system and contributes to 1.2 million annual premature deaths in Africa. Up to 80% of the municipal solid waste generated in African cities is recyclable and could be worth $8 billion per year if kept in a circular economy. By addressing the systemic deficiencies and promoting waste to resource conversion, we can dramatically improve health outcomes for populations most affected by air pollution while supporting the creation of decent jobs and livelihoods. These facts have been further substantiated by the 2024 World Risk Poll waste report, which shows that waste management is a complex issue, requiring a systems approach and collaboration across sectors. 

“Engineering X's Africa Roadmap aims to lay the foundation for addressing this complex challenge. The Regional Roadmap is developed as a follow-up to the resolution of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment on open waste burning and will provide evidence and tools to regional bodies, national and local governments, and other stakeholders. In this context, the World Risk Poll waste report provides extremely valuable insight on the different dimensions of waste generation and management, thereby informing the development of the regional roadmap and subsequent decision making at a national and local level."

The report also explores the most common types of waste being disposed of, as well as behaviours around waste separation. Globally, plastic was found to be the most commonly disposed of form of waste in the highest proportion of households (42%), closely followed by food waste (38%). Typically, plastic tops the list in high-income countries, while, in most lower income countries, food waste comes out on top – with the exception of Cambodia, Myanmar and Eswatini, which are all among the top 10 countries where plastic is the most common type of household waste. This makes these countries a particular cause for concern, given they also have high rates of uncontrolled disposal – mainly open burning in Cambodia and Eswatini.

Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “Safe and sustainable waste disposal is a form of critical infrastructure, whether for household waste or the decommissioning of major engineering projects. What type of waste we generate and how we dispose of it matters, impacting air quality and health, the safety of the people who work with our waste, and the environment, particularly if it ends up in our oceans.

“And yet, the results from the World Risk Poll show some glaring inequalities across the world and identify several priority areas where intervention is needed to protect people and the environment from uncontrolled, mismanaged waste.

“Dangerous practices such as open burning occur where people do not have any viable alternatives, and so there must be investment in better collection and processing infrastructure in those countries and regions where little official collection or separation currently takes place.

“With this report, we aimed to fill a critical data gap on household waste disposal around the world, amplifying the voices of millions of people who have been left at risk of harm by a lack of safe waste management infrastructure. Now, we hope policymakers and communities will be able to use our data to start engineering long-term, systemic change.” 

Carlos Silva Filho, President of the International Solid Waste Association, added: “The United Nations General Assembly has recently approved a resolution to consider the right to a clean and healthy environment as a basic human right. Delivering sound waste management services – basic collection, sorting and adequate destination – is a key element to fulfil the charter given by the UN. However, the most recent data shows the opposite: the world is being filled up with increased amounts of waste which are not being adequately managed.

“The World Risk Poll waste report adds an extra layer and more confidence to the existing figures, that immediate actions leading to paradigm shift, from a linear approach towards a circular system, are urgent throughout the world and require direct engagement at the household level. It is the only pathway to a sustainable and equitable future.”

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  Williams, M., Gower, R., Green, J., Whitebread, E., Lenkiewicz, Z., & Schröder, P. (2019). No time to waste: Tackling the plastic pollution crisis before it’s too late. Tearfund. https://learn.tearfund.org/en/ resources/policy-reports/no-time-to-waste