What is the term for the addition of more waste than a resource can handle?

The correct term for the addition of more waste than a resource can handle is pollution. Pollution occurs when harmful substances are introduced into the environment, which can overwhelm natural systems and lead to detrimental effects on air, water, land, and living organisms.

When more waste is produced than the environment can naturally assimilate or break down, it leads to a deterioration of the ecosystem's health. For example, excess nutrients from fertilizers can run off into water bodies, causing algal blooms that deplete oxygen and harm aquatic life. Similarly, the accumulation of plastics in oceans exemplifies pollution as marine systems cannot cope with the mass of waste.

The other terms, while related to environmental issues, do not specifically relate to the concept of exceeding the resource capacity with waste. Overconsumption refers to the use of resources at an unsustainable rate. Degradation involves the decline in the quality of natural resources, which can result from various factors including pollution. Contamination typically implies that a resource is made impure or unclean, often due to pollutants, but does not specifically denote the aspect of excessive waste.