Municipal solid waste

Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish
in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also
refer specifically to food waste, as in a garbage disposal; the two are sometimes collected separately. In the
European Union, the semantic definition is 'mixed municipal waste,' given waste code 20 03 01 in the
European Waste Catalog. Although the waste may originate from a number of sources that has nothing to
do with a municipality, the traditional role of municipalities in collecting and managing these kinds of waste
have produced the particular etymology 'municipal.'

Composition
The composition of municipal solid waste varies greatly from municipality to municipality,[1] and it changes
significantly with time. In municipalities which have a well-developed waste recycling system, the waste
stream mainly consists of intractable wastes such as plastic film and non-recyclable packaging materials. At
the start of the 20th century, the majority of domestic waste (53%) in the UK consisted of coal ash from
open fires.[2] In developed areas without significant recycling activity it predominantly includes food
wastes, market wastes, yard wastes, plastic containers and product packaging materials, and other
miscellaneous solid wastes from residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial sources.[3] Most
definitions of municipal solid waste do not include industrial wastes, agricultural wastes, medical waste,
radioactive waste or sewage sludge.[4] Waste collection is performed by the municipality within a given
area. The term residual waste relates to waste left from household sources containing materials that have
not been separated out or sent for processing.[5] Waste can be classified in several ways, but the following
list represents a typical classification:

Biodegradable waste: food and kitchen waste, green waste, paper (most can be recycled,
although some difficult to compost plant material may be excluded[6])
Recyclable materials: paper, cardboard, glass, bottles, jars, tin cans, aluminum cans,
aluminium foil, metals, certain plastics, textiles, clothing, tires, batteries, etc.
Inert waste: construction and demolition waste, dirt, rocks, debris
Electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) – ⁣electrical appliances, light bulbs, washing
machines, TVs, computers, screens, mobile phones, alarm clocks, watches, etc.
Composite wastes: waste clothing, Tetra Pack food and drink cartons, waste plastics such
as toys and plastic garden furniture
Hazardous waste including most paints, chemicals, tires, batteries, light bulbs, electrical
appliances, fluorescent lamps, aerosol spray cans, and fertilizers
Toxic waste including pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides
Biomedical waste, expired pharmaceutical drugs, etc.

For example, typical municipal solid waste in China is composed of 55.9% food residue, 8.5% paper,
11.2% plastics, 3.2% textiles, 2.9% wood waste, 0.8% rubber, and 18.4% non-combustibles.[7]

Components of solid waste management

The municipal solid waste industry has four components: recycling,
composting, disposal, and waste-to-energy via incineration.[8]
There is no single approach that can be applied to the management
of all waste streams, therefore the Environmental Protection
Agency, a U.S. federal government agency, developed a hierarchy
ranking strategy for municipal solid waste.[9] The waste
management hierarchy is made up of four levels ordered from most
preferred to least preferred methods based on their environmental
soundness: Source reduction and reuse; recycling or composting;
Bins to collect paper, aluminium,
energy recovery; treatment and disposal.[10]
glass, PET bottles and incinerable
waste.
Collection

The functional element of collection includes not only the gathering of solid waste and recyclable materials,
but also the transport of these materials, after collection, to the location where the collection vehicle is
emptied. This location may be a materials processing facility, a transfer station or a landfill disposal site.

Waste handling and separation, storage and processing at the source

Waste handling and separation involves activities associated with waste management until the waste is
placed in storage containers for collection. Handling also encompasses the movement of loaded containers
to the point of collection. Separating different types of waste components is an important step in the
handling and storage of solid waste at the source of collection.

Segregation and processing and transformation of solid wastes

The types of means and facilities that are now used for the recovery of waste materials that have been
separated at the source include curbside ('kerbyside' in the UK) collection, drop-off and buy-back centers.
The separation and processing of wastes that have been separated at the source and the separation of
commingled wastes usually occur at a materials recovery facility, transfer stations, combustion facilities and
treatment plants.

Transfer and transport

This element involves two main steps. First, the waste is transferred from a smaller collection vehicle to
larger transport equipment. The waste is then transported, usually over long distances, to a processing or
disposal site.

Disposal

Today, the disposal of wastes by land filling or land spreading is the ultimate fate of all solid wastes,
whether they are residential wastes collected and transported directly to a landfill site, residual materials
from materials recovery facilities (MRFs), residue from the combustion of solid waste, compost, or other
substances from various solid waste processing facilities. A modern sanitary landfill is not a dump; it is an
engineered facility used for disposing of solid wastes on land without creating nuisances or hazards to
public health or safety, such as the problems of insects and the contamination of groundwater.

Reusing

In recent years, environmental organizations, such as Freegle or The Freecycle Network, have been gaining
popularity for their online reuse networks. These networks provide a worldwide online registry of
unwanted items that would otherwise be thrown away, for individuals and nonprofits to reuse or recycle.
Therefore, this free Internet-based service reduces landfill pollution and promotes the gift economy.

Landfills

Landfills are created by land dumping. Land dumping methods vary, most commonly it involves the mass
dumping of waste into a designated area, usually a hole or sidehill. After the waste is dumped, it is then
compacted by large machines. When the dumping cell is full, it is then "sealed" with a plastic sheet and
covered in several feet of dirt. This is the primary method of dumping in the United States because of the
low cost and abundance of unused land in North America. Landfills are regulated in the US by the
Environmental Protection Agency, which enforces standards provided in the Resource Conservation
Recovery Act, such as requiring liners and groundwater monitoring.[11] This is because landfills pose the
threat of pollution and can contaminate groundwater. The signs of pollution are effectively masked by
disposal companies, and it is often hard to see any evidence. Usually, landfills are surrounded by large
walls or fences hiding the mounds of debris. Large amounts of chemical odor eliminating agent are sprayed
in the air surrounding landfills to hide the evidence of the rotting waste inside the plant.[12]

Energy generation

Municipal solid waste can be used to generate energy because of the lipid content present within it. A lot of
MSW products can be converted into clean energy if the lipid content can be accessed and utilized.[13]
Several technologies have been developed that make the processing of MSW for energy generation cleaner
and more economical than ever before, including landfill gas capture, combustion, pyrolysis, gasification,
and plasma arc gasification.[14][15]

While older waste incineration plants emitted a lot of pollutants, recent regulatory changes and new
technologies have significantly reduced this concern. United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) regulations in 1995 and 2000 under the Clean Air Act have succeeded in reducing emissions of
dioxins from waste-to-energy facilities by more than 99 percent below 1990 levels, while mercury
emissions have been reduced by over 90 percent.[16] The EPA noted these improvements in 2003, citing
waste-to-energy as a power source "with less environmental impact than almost any other source of
electricity".[17]

See also
Category:Waste by country
Garbology (study of modern refuse and trash)
List of waste management acronyms
MSW/LFG (municipal solid waste and landfill gas)
Methanol fuel#History and production
 Sewage
Waste management
Waste minimisation
Global waste trade

References
1. Kumar, Sunil; Dhar, Hiya; Nair, Vijay V.; Bhattacharyya, J. K.; Vaidya, A. N.; Akolkar, A. B.
(2016). "Characterization of municipal solid waste in high-altitude sub-tropical regions".
Environmental Technology. 37 (20): 2627–2637. doi:10.1080/09593330.2016.1158322 (http
s://doi.org/10.1080%2F09593330.2016.1158322). PMID 26915419 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nl
m.nih.gov/26915419). S2CID 8140600 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:8140600).
2. Centenary history of waste and waste managers in London and south east England- Page 7
(http://www.ciwm.co.uk/web/FILES/About_CIWM/100_yrs_London_and_SE_centre.pdf)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20130813042213/http://www.ciwm.co.uk/web/FILES/
About_CIWM/100_yrs_London_and_SE_centre.pdf) 2013-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
3. Non-hazardous Waste (http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/) U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Municipal Solid Waste
4. Municipal Solid Waste (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/mswaste/msw.h
tml) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20101120233733/http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/s
olar.renewables/page/mswaste/msw.html) 2010-11-20 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Energy
Information Administration
5. Mechanical Biological Treatment (http://www.countryside.wales.gov.uk/fe/master.asp?n1=36
6&n2=213&n3=896) Archived (https://archive.today/20070927193038/http://www.countrysid
e.wales.gov.uk/fe/master.asp?n1=366&n2=213&n3=896) 2007-09-27 at archive.today
Welsh Assembly (2005) Mechanical Biological Treatment, Environment Countryside and
Planning Website, Welsh Assembly
6. "Organics -Green Bin" (http://www.ccc.govt.nz/services/rubbish-and-recycling/sorting/organi
cs-green-bin/). Christchurch City Council. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
7. Zhou, Hui; Meng, AiHong; Long, YanQiu; Li, QingHai; Zhang, YanGuo (August 2014). "An
overview of characteristics of municipal solid waste fuel in China: Physical, chemical
composition and heating value". Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 36: 107–
122. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.04.024 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.rser.2014.04.024).
8. Nonhazardous waste (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/mswaste/msw.ht
ml) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20101120233733/http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/so
lar.renewables/page/mswaste/msw.html) 2010-11-20 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Energy
Information Administration
9. "System Overview > Solid Waste - GSA Sustainable Facilities Tool" (https://sftool.gov/explor
e/green-building/section/57/solid-waste/system-overview). sftool.gov.
10. US EPA, OSWER (22 September 2015). "Advancing Sustainable Materials Management:
Facts and Figures" (https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycl
ing/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-0). US EPA.
11. Horinko, Marianne, Cathryn Courtin. “Waste Management: A Half Century of Progress.” (htt
p://www.epaalumni.org/hcp/rcra.pdf) EPA Alumni Association. March 2016.
12. Rogers, Heather (2006). Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage (https://archive.org/de
tails/gonetomorrow00heat). New York: The New Press. ISBN 9781595581204.
13. Caircross, Richard (1 January 2018). "Longitudinal Study of Wastewater Greases and Their
Potential for the Production of Biofuels" (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.energyfuel
s.7b03550). Energy and Fuels. 32 (2): 1831–1842. doi:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b03550 (ht
tps://doi.org/10.1021%2Facs.energyfuels.7b03550). Retrieved 25 February 2022.
14. "Environmental and Energy Study Institute Issue Brief" (http://www.eesi.org/files/eesi_msw_i
ssuebrief_072109.pdf) (PDF).
15. Agaton, Casper Boongaling; Guno, Charmaine Samala; Villanueva, Resy Ordona;
Villanueva, Riza Ordona (2020-10-01). "Economic analysis of waste-to-energy investment in
the Philippines: A real options approach" (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.apenergy.2020.11526
5). Applied Energy. 275: 115265. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115265 (https://doi.org/10.10
16%2Fj.apenergy.2020.115265). ISSN 0306-2619 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0306-261
9).
16. US EPA, ORD (26 March 2015). "Research Grants" (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants).
US EPA.
17. U.S. EPA Letter to Maria Zannes, President, Integrated Waste Services Association (http://w
ww.wte.org/userfiles/file/epaletter.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201109280857
41/http://www.wte.org/userfiles/file/epaletter.pdf) 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading
Vergara, S. E.; Tchobanoglous, G. (2012). "Municipal Solid Waste and the Environment: A
Global Perspective" (https://doi.org/10.1146%2Fannurev-environ-050511-122532). Annual
Review of Environment and Resources. 37: 277–309. doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-050511-
122532 (https://doi.org/10.1146%2Fannurev-environ-050511-122532).
Kumar, Sunil; Dhar, Hiya; Nair, Vijay V.; Bhattacharyya, J. K.; Vaidya, A. N.; Akolkar, A. B. (22
March 2016). "Characterization of municipal solid waste in high-altitude sub-tropical
regions". Environmental Technology. 37 (20): 2627–2637.
doi:10.1080/09593330.2016.1158322 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F09593330.2016.115832
2). PMID 26915419 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26915419). S2CID 8140600 (https://ap
i.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:8140600).

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