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Types, Sources and Impact of Waste | ICSE Class 10

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GeographyICSE Class 10 · Waste Management

Types, Sources and Impact of Waste (ICSE Class 10 Geography)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Draft, not yet fact-checked

Waste is divided into biodegradable (broken down by micro-organisms, such as kitchen waste, paper, cotton, garden waste and cow dung) and non-biodegradable (not broken down or very slow to break down, such as plastics, glass, metals, e-waste and some chemicals). Its sources are domestic, industrial, agricultural, commercial and municipal, biomedical and electronic. Accumulated waste spoils the landscape, pollutes land, water and air, and breeds disease, which is why waste management is needed.

Understand Types, Sources and Impact of Waste

1. Types of waste.

  • Biodegradable waste can be broken down by micro-organisms into harmless substances. Examples: kitchen waste, vegetable and fruit peels, paper, cotton, garden waste and cow dung.
  • Non-biodegradable waste cannot be broken down naturally, or takes a very long time. Examples: plastics and polythene, glass, metals, e-waste (old phones, computers, batteries) and some chemicals.

2. Sources of waste.

  • Domestic: households.
  • Industrial: factories, mines and power plants (fly ash, slag, chemicals).
  • Agricultural: crop residues, dung, fertiliser and pesticide containers.
  • Commercial and municipal: markets and offices.
  • Biomedical: hospitals.
  • Electronic.

3. E-waste. E-waste is rising rapidly in India because more people use electronic gadgets, and these become outdated quickly and are replaced frequently. Old phones, computers and batteries contain toxic substances and are non-biodegradable.

4. Impact of waste accumulation.
1. Spoilage of the landscape: heaps of garbage are ugly, smell foul and lower the beauty and value of an area, harming tourism.
2. Pollution:

  • *Land:* toxic substances from waste seep into the soil and reduce its fertility.
  • *Water:* liquid that drains from waste dumps (leachate) and dumping in rivers pollute surface water and groundwater.
  • *Air:* burning waste releases smoke and harmful gases; rotting waste releases methane and foul odours.

3. Health hazards: garbage dumps breed flies, mosquitoes and rats, which spread diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, malaria and dengue; smoke causes respiratory illness; toxic e-waste and biomedical waste are dangerous to those who handle them.

5. Need for waste management. To protect public health and the environment, to conserve resources and energy by recovering materials, to save land used for dumps and to keep surroundings clean.

6. Classification tip. To decide whether an item is biodegradable, ask: can micro-organisms break it down in a short time? Paper and cotton can; plastics and glass cannot.

Types, Sources and Impact of Waste: key facts

Biodegradable waste
Broken down by micro-organisms | Kitchen waste, peels, paper, cotton, garden waste, cow dung
Non-biodegradable waste
Not broken down or very slow | Plastics, glass, metals, e-waste, some chemicals
Sources
  • Domestic
  • Industrial
  • Agricultural
  • Commercial and municipal
  • Biomedical
  • Electronic
Impact
  • Spoils landscape
  • Pollutes land, water, air
  • Breeds disease
  • Harms those handling toxic waste
Diseases from dumps
  • Cholera, typhoid, dysentery
  • Malaria, dengue
  • Respiratory illness from smoke

How to answer Types, Sources and Impact of Waste questions

Classify the item, name the source, then describe the effect on land, water, air or health.

  1. 1Classify the waste: can micro-organisms break it down? If yes, biodegradable; if not, non-biodegradable.
  2. 2Name the source: household, factory, farm, market, hospital or electronic.
  3. 3For impact questions, use headings: landscape, land, water, air, health.
  4. 4Give a disease with its carrier where the question asks (flies, mosquitoes, rats).
  5. 5End with the need for waste management if the question mentions conservation or safety.

Types, Sources and Impact of Waste in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A household's bin

Suppose a family finds in its bin on one day: banana peels, a glass bottle, an old phone battery, newspaper and a polythene bag.

Sort the items into biodegradable and non-biodegradable.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Biodegradable: banana peels and newspaper.
  2. Non-biodegradable: glass bottle, old phone battery (e-waste) and polythene bag.

Answer: Biodegradable: peels, newspaper. Non-biodegradable: glass, battery, polythene.

Memory hook: Natural and short-lived: breaks down. Man-made and long-lasting: stays.

A dump beside a village

Suppose uncovered garbage has been piled at the edge of a village for months, close to a pond and a stream.

State two effects on the village.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Flies, mosquitoes and rats breed on the dump and spread diseases.
  2. Liquid from the dump seeps into the soil and pond, polluting water and land.

Answer: Disease from pests, and pollution of water and land.

Memory hook: Dump near water: pests and polluted pond.

Tricks to remember Types, Sources and Impact of Waste

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Bio = broken down by life

    Biodegradable means micro-organisms (life) can break it down.

    Use it when: Defining biodegradable waste.

  • Land, water, air, health

    Impact answers follow four headings: land, water, air, health, plus the ugly landscape.

    Use it when: Impact of waste accumulation.

  • Six sources

    Domestic, industrial, agricultural, commercial/municipal, biomedical, electronic.

    Use it when: Sources of waste.

Types, Sources and Impact of Waste: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Classify the waste · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Classify the following as biodegradable or non-biodegradable: cow dung, plastic bottle, vegetable peels, glass jar, old computer.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Biodegradable: cow dung and vegetable peels.
  2. Non-biodegradable: plastic bottle, glass jar, old computer (e-waste).

Answer: Biodegradable: cow dung, vegetable peels. Non-biodegradable: plastic bottle, glass jar, old computer.

Example 2: Define non-biodegradable waste · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

Define non-biodegradable waste and give two examples.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. It is waste that cannot be broken down naturally by micro-organisms, or takes a very long time to break down.
  2. Examples: plastics and polythene, glass, metals, e-waste.

Answer: Waste not broken down naturally, or only very slowly: for example plastics and glass.

Example 3: Industrial and agricultural sources · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Name two kinds of waste from industries and two from agriculture.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Industrial: fly ash and slag from power plants and factories, chemicals from mines and factories.
  2. Agricultural: crop residues and dung, fertiliser and pesticide containers.

Answer: Industry: fly ash, slag, chemicals. Agriculture: crop residues, dung, fertiliser and pesticide containers.

Example 4: Impact on health · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Explain how an uncollected garbage dump can lead to disease in a neighbourhood, naming three diseases.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A dump breeds flies, mosquitoes and rats.
  2. Flies and rats can spread cholera, typhoid and dysentery; mosquitoes spread malaria and dengue.
  3. Burning the waste also produces smoke that causes respiratory illness.

Answer: Pests breeding in the dump spread diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, malaria and dengue; smoke harms the lungs.

Example 5: Case study: electronic waste · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

A town finds that sales of electronic gadgets have doubled while its dump is filling with old phones and batteries. (a) Explain why e-waste has increased. (b) State two harmful effects. (c) Why does e-waste not rot like vegetable peels?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) More people use electronic gadgets, and these become outdated quickly and are replaced frequently.
  2. (b) Toxic substances seep into the soil and water; e-waste is dangerous to those who handle it.
  3. (c) It is non-biodegradable: micro-organisms cannot break it down.

Answer: (a) Greater use and quick replacement (b) Toxic seepage; danger to handlers (c) It is non-biodegradable.

Where students lose marks in Types, Sources and Impact of Waste

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Confusing biodegradable and non-biodegradable

    The student thinks 'bio' means harmful or 'natural' means non-biodegradable.

    Do this: Biodegradable: broken down by micro-organisms.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Writing 'pollution' with no detail

    Land, water and air effects are not separated.

    Do this: Name the medium and the effect: seepage, leachate, smoke.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.

  • Mistake: Missing the disease carrier

    Diseases are listed without flies, mosquitoes or rats.

    Do this: Link the dump to the pests and then to the disease.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Omitting e-waste in non-biodegradable examples

    Only plastic is remembered.

    Do this: Include plastics, glass, metals and e-waste.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Define biodegradable and non-biodegradable in one line each.
  • Give at least two examples per category.
  • For impact answers, use headings: land, water, air, health.
  • Link each source to its typical waste: hospitals with biomedical, factories with fly ash and slag.

Practice questions on Types, Sources and Impact of Waste

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Which of these is biodegradable?
    (a) Polythene
    (b) Garden waste
    (c) Glass
    (d) Old batteries

    Hint

    Micro-organisms.

    Answer

    (b) Garden waste.

  2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Waste from hospitals is called:
    (a) domestic waste
    (b) agricultural waste
    (c) biomedical waste
    (d) municipal waste

    Hint

    Think of the source.

    Answer

    (c) biomedical waste.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    State three sources of waste and one example of each.

    Hint

    Domestic, industrial, agricultural.

    Answer

    Domestic: kitchen waste. Industrial: fly ash. Agricultural: crop residues.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain how an open waste dump can damage (a) the soil beneath it and (b) the groundwater and a nearby river.

    Hint

    Toxic seepage and leachate.

    Answer

    (a) Toxic substances from waste seep into the soil and reduce its fertility. (b) Liquid from dumps (leachate) and dumping in rivers pollute surface water and groundwater.

  5. Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): Plastic waste remains in the environment for a long time.
    Reason (R): Plastics are non-biodegradable.
    (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    (c) A is true but R is false.
    (d) A is false but R is true.

    Hint

    Are they broken down?

    Answer

    (a).

  6. Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain why burning waste in the open is harmful. Give two points about air and one about health.

    Hint

    Smoke and gases.

    Answer

    Air: (1) burning releases smoke and particulate matter that make the air dirty and reduce visibility; (2) it releases harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and toxic fumes from plastics, which add to air pollution and global warming. Health: the smoke and gases cause respiratory illness such as asthma and bronchitis and irritate the eyes.

  7. Q7 · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

    A tourist town finds that visitors are fewer after heaps of garbage accumulate near the beach. (a) Name the effect of waste on the town's appearance. (b) Explain why this affects tourism. (c) Suggest one benefit the town would gain from effective waste management.

    Hint

    Spoilage of landscape.

    Answer

    (a) Spoilage of the landscape. (b) Heaps of garbage are ugly and smell foul, lowering the beauty and value of the area and reducing tourism. (c) A clean environment, protection of health and recovery of useful materials.

  8. Q8 · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

    A factory dumps its chemical waste into a nearby stream. (a) State the source category of this waste. (b) Name two ways in which it harms the area. (c) Explain why the waste is likely to be a problem for years.

    Hint

    Non-biodegradable chemicals.

    Answer

    (a) Industrial waste. (b) It pollutes surface water and groundwater, and toxic substances seep into the soil and reduce fertility. (c) Some chemicals are non-biodegradable and do not break down naturally, or only very slowly.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Name two biodegradable wastes.Show answer

    Kitchen waste and paper (also garden waste, cotton, cow dung).

  2. 2.What is leachate?Show answer

    The liquid that drains from waste dumps.

  3. 3.Which waste comes from hospitals?Show answer

    Biomedical waste.

  4. 4.Name two diseases spread by mosquitoes.Show answer

    Malaria and dengue.

  5. 5.Why is e-waste increasing?Show answer

    More gadgets are used and they are replaced quickly.

Types, Sources and Impact of Waste: frequently asked questions

What is biodegradable waste?

Waste that micro-organisms can break down into harmless substances.

What is e-waste?

Discarded electronic items such as old phones, computers and batteries.

How does waste affect health?

It breeds pests that spread disease, and burning it produces harmful smoke.

Why do we need waste management?

To protect health and the environment, conserve resources, save land and keep surroundings clean.