Solid waste disposal may give rise to considerable environmental and health issues, particularly if carried out in an uncontrolled manner.
The population views wastes as hazardous for their health as a consequence of public opinion being biased by alarming reports, negative past experiences or cultural considerations that frequently combine with a desire to ignore the issue completely.
The scientific community is often not sufficiently concerned with overcoming the lack of information, at times generating contrasting views and providing misleading information. The promotion of appealing ideas such as “zero waste”, invariably proving to be unrealistic and hard to accomplish, may lead in the short-term to matters being “left as they are”, thereby constituting a major risk for the public health.
Waste management is closely linked to the world of economy, thus constituting an easy target for both legal and illegal operations.
Furthermore, administrative concerns or short-lived political views focusing on short-term results rather than affording effective protection to public health, may interfere substantially with public awareness and create scarcely manageable situations such as that manifested currently in the Campania region.
This seminar will mark an opportunity for discussion and debate based on rigorous scientific findings and public health research studies.
The seminar is promoted by the IWWG (International Waste Working Group) and by the University of Padua. The IWWG is a working group uniting several leading experts in the field of waste management, constituting a workshop for the proposing of new ideas and setting up of avant-garde research techniques.