Summary

In this Study Session, you have learned that:

• ‘Sanitation’ and ‘waste management’ both refer to the appropriate management of waste to protect people and the environment. Sanitation generally focuses on liquid waste and waste management on solid waste.
• Liquid waste includes all types of wastewater and includes human excreta. Solid waste is any solid material discarded by people and is often classified according to its source.
• The ‘sanitation ladder’ illustrates the different types of sanitation provision in order of desirability.
• The waste hierarchy is a guide to the different ways of treating wastes from waste reduction (the best option) through to disposal (the worst option).
• The challenges of rapid and unplanned population growth and urbanisation in low-income countries make it difficult to achieve acceptable levels of sanitation and waste management quickly.