Recycling rates result from the management of municipal solid waste (MSW). MSW is composed of the non-hazardous residues produced at residences, businesses, and institutions. Certain materials are usually excluded from the definition of MSW, although they are solid wastes or are produced at residences, businesses, or institutions. Excluded materials include…
Single stream recyclables collection (residents set out all recyclables in one container without sorting them further) has become the dominant means of curbside recycling in the United States. Proponents claim it motivates residents to set out more materials for recovery because it is more convenient than other collection strategies; others…
The primary objective of waste management technologies and policies in the United States is to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of waste, particularly those relating to energy consumption and climate change. Performance indicators are frequently used to evaluate the environmental quality of municipal waste systems, as well as to compare…
In 1988 New York State implemented its Solid Waste Management Plan, which established a hierarchy of waste management strategies: The state set a goal of reducing the waste stream by 50 percent while increase the rate of recycling to 50 percent by 1997. Full PDF Here
Municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated in very large quantities (probably between 200 and 400 million tonnes per year) in the USA. MSW is generated at millions of places and there is no one precise, general definition for MSW that is generally applied—despite US Environmental Protection Agency efforts. As an…
Rising waste disposal fees and public awareness of environmental issues have led to recent changes in waste disposal practices in the restaurant industry. Some restaurant owners and chains always have been concerned with the volumes and materials they discard, for pragmatic financial reasons, or because of traditional thrift (i.e. reprocessing…
Six tonnes of discards and recyclables fromthree waste districts in a New York suburb were sorted in 2012. The districts were chosen because one had a higher recycling percentage, one had median performance, and one was a low performing district. ASTM standards were followed for the waste composition sorting. The…
Landfilling, burying garbage, has been the most common method of disposing of solid wastes in the United States for the last forty years. However, the federal government is now encouraging a new approach to solid waste disposal, a hierarchical approach that places landfilling after reduction, recycling, ad incineration with energy…
The results of an experiential learning project in the field of solid waste and resource management are presented, as these relate to material recovery, recycling and reuse. A project-based learning method was employed in a course titled “Packaging Research” which was part of the school’s Science and Technology Entry Program…
