The Northern Waste was a vast cold region, in the far north end of Middle-earth, beyond the Mountains of Angmar, Mount Gundabad and the Ered Mithrin.
The region was also named Forodwaith (S., "Northern lands, people"), probably after the hardy Forodwaith, who once inhabited it.
The Northern Waste had always been bitterly cold due to its proximity to Morgoth's realm and continued to remain cold into the later ages.
The region was once inhabited by the Forodwaith, a hardy Mannish folk accustomed to the cold climate of the Northern Waste, whose name was also applied to the region. In later years the Lossoth, their remnants, lived mostly on the Cape of Forochel, but also camped on the southern shores of the Icebay of Forochel near the northern end of the Blue Mountains.
In T.A. 1981, one of the strongest storms in the history of Gondor came from the Northern Waste through Eriador into Gondor, tore the ship of Amroth from its moorings near the elven harbour of Edhellond and blew it out into the Bay of Belfalas.
According to Frodo Baggins's poem for Gandalf, Gandalf had travelled "from northern waste to southern hill". It is not known if Frodo meant the Northern Waste that lies north of the Mountains of Angmar and north of the Grey Mountains or some other waste in the north.
Dragons dwelt in the wastes beyond the Grey Mountains. It is not known if these wastes refer to the Northern Waste in the north of the Grey Mountains or to the Withered Heath in the north-east of the southern and longer eastern branch of the Grey Mountains, which was known for its dragons. After many years, the dragons multiplied and became strong and made war against the Dwarves. Among these dragons were Cold-drakes that drove the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains out of their homes.