basura

Basura is a Spanish term meaning garbage or waste. It refers to discarded materials resulting from households, businesses, and industries that are no longer useful or wanted. In many Spanish-speaking regions, the terms basura and residuos are used, with basura often reserved for municipal solid waste.

Types include municipal solid waste (household and small business waste), industrial and construction waste, electronic waste (e-waste), organic waste, hazardous waste, and special waste such as medical or radioactive waste, which often requires separate handling. Many regions classify and separate waste at source to improve recycling.

Management involves collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal. The waste management hierarchy prioritizes reducing generation, reusing items, and recycling materials, followed by energy recovery and final disposal in landfills or incinerators with emission controls. Composting converts organic basura into soil amendment.

Environmental and health impacts include soil, water, and air pollution; methane emissions from anaerobic decomposition; and, if mismanaged, basura can attract pests and create odors. Proper handling reduces litter and contamination.

In policy and culture, public systems vary by country; many Spanish-speaking regions implement extended producer responsibility, recycling targets, and public education campaigns to promote waste separation and reduction. The vocabulary commonly used includes basura, residuos, desechos, and desperdicios.