Abstract
The current chapter presents the main municipal solid waste management
processes used worldwide with potentially negative effects on human health:
incineration, landfilling and composting by analyzing the defining elements regarding
the main pollutants generated by the waste management processes in the form of solid,
liquid, and gaseous discharges. Waste production, management and disposal involve
more complex activities, with different potentials to affect health directly and indirectly
through many pathways and mechanisms. The impact of waste may vary depending on
numerous factors, such as the type of waste management processes, characteristics, and
habits of the exposed population, duration of exposure, prevention, and mitigation
interventions. Improper waste management in terms of health impact could be directly
linked, to potential adverse substances, which leads to increased risk of cancer and
quality of life decreasing or indirectly, to the environmental impact of the process, such
as the contribution to global warming, loss of biodiversity and the depletion of nonrenewable resources