releasing wastes vs releasing waste

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5jj

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With the meaning of 'a waste product', 'waste' is sometimes used countably.
 

emsr2d2

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There are different types of waste, so it is possible to use "wastes". The rest of the story and the context would tell you whether it was appropriate or not. "Waste" is more common though.
 

anhnha

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Here is the full report:
BA RIA-VUNG TAU – Southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province's People's Committee has decided to fine Vung Tau Paradise Joint Venture Company more than VND200 million (US$10,200) for violating environmental regulations.Inspectors from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment discovered that the company failed to classify, register and report toxic waste to authorised agencies prior to storage in late August. — VNS

Is the word "waste" here used correctly? I think it should be "wastes" because the verb "classify". Is this right?

 

5jj

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Is the word "waste" here used correctly? I think it should be "wastes" because the verb "classify". Is this right?
Less than an hour ago you thought that 'wastes' was not possible! The difference between the singular and plural forms is not always significant.
 

anhnha

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Less than an hour ago you thought that 'wastes' was not possible!
The first time is the usage of "wastes" in title. Now is the use of "waste" is the content of the report.:)
 

emsr2d2

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Yes, we can see that "wastes" was used in the title and "waste" was used in the article, but as 5jj already said "The difference between the singular and plural forms is not always significant."
 
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