Most processes use a wide range of resources, all to generate the desired result. This desired result often being a valuable product or service. However, during transformation, the process will also use these resources to generate less desirable outputs. By-products, scrap, waste, and so on, the degree of non-desirability sorting them into these definitions. For example, waste has no to negative value, meaning that it cannot be used for anything worthwhile. On the other hand, scrap keeps a substantial remaining value, or usefulness.
What about human resource in all that? Processed by life, we often end up feeling crap, burn out, worn over, exhausted. Life, like most process, cares very little about the resource it employs, leaving some of us with that dire feeling of uselessness. Most of us get over it and realize how inaccurate this view is, unfortnately, some of us might sink in the feeling.
Suicide rates are very high in economically developed societies, which some people found quite ironic in itself. That's disregarding how the life process in these societies handle its human resource. From an Effy point of view, human resources, unlike other resource, has more potential, abilities, and should never be considered waste. More like work-in-progress.
World suicide statistics:
World Health Organization: www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/
World Population Review: worldpopulationreview.com/countries/suicide-rate-by-country/

PS: This is the second strip on waste, following episode 4 "Humanitis".