Sanitary Engineering and Solid Waste Management Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining fundamental environmental engineering terms, Philippine environmental laws, plastic types, waste management operations, collection systems, and landfill engineering principles based on CE 151 Lectures 1 and 2.

Environmental Engineering

The application of engineering principles, under certain constraints, for the protection and enhancement of the quality of the environment and public health and welfare.

DENR-EMB

Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines, which formulates plans, programs, and environmental quality standards for pollution control and environment protection.

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003)

Philippine law that mandates systematic, comprehensive, and ecological solid waste management, prohibiting open burning, phasing out open dumps, and requiring waste segregation and recycling.

Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990 (RA 6969)

Philippine law regulating, restricting, or prohibiting the import, manufacture, processing, handling, storage, transport, sale, and disposal of chemical substances presenting unreasonable risk, while prohibiting entry of nuclear and hazardous waste.

Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (RA 8749)

Philippine law banning the incineration or burning of wastes emitting poisonous and toxic fumes and promoting non-burn technologies for hazardous and biomedical waste handling.

Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA 9275)

Philippine legislation aiming to protect water bodies from pollution originating from land-based sources through a comprehensive, multi-sectoral, and participatory approach.

DAO 2016-08

DENR Administrative Order establishing Water Quality Guidelines (WQG) and General Effluent Standards (GES) to maintain and improve Philippine water body quality.

DAO 2021-19

Updated DENR Administrative Order modifying Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards for specific parameters including Ammonia as $\text{NH}_3\text{-N}$, Boron, Dissolved Copper, Fecal Coliform, Phosphate, and Sulfate.

Solid Waste

Generic term (also called refuse) for discarded household, commercial, non-hazardous institutional and industrial materials, street sweepings, construction debris, agricultural waste, and other non-toxic solid waste.

Garbage

The biodegradable or putrescible fraction of municipal solid waste, pertaining specifically to food wastes.

Rubbish

The non-biodegradable or non-putrescible solid waste component, such as wrappings of food wastes or packaging materials.

Trash

Combustible waste materials including paper, plastics, textiles, and wood.

Special Wastes

Non-regularly collected waste materials such as construction debris, abandoned automobiles, and old appliances.

Rubble

Waste pertaining specifically to construction and demolition debris or rock fragments.

White Goods

The bulky portion of rubbish that is not regularly generated, consisting of household appliances like refrigerators, microwave ovens, and washing machines.

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Inexpensive, lightweight, and easily recyclable plastic used in soft drink and water bottles; recyclable into fiber, carpet, and paneling.

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Plastic with no risk of chemical leaching, used for juice, bleach, and shampoo bottles; recyclable into detergent containers, floor tile, and drainage pipes.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Rigid plastic used in cleaner bottles, piping, and clear food packaging; recyclable into speed bumps and flooring, but unusable for drinking water due to toxic breakdown products.

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Flexible plastic with no chemical leaching risk, used in squeezable bottles, bread, and frozen food bags; recyclable into compost bins and floor tiles.

Polypropylene (PP)

Plastic with a high melting point used in ketchup bottles, straws, and yogurt containers; recyclable into signal lights, brooms, and brushes.

Polystyrene (PS)

Non-recyclable plastic used in disposable plates, cups, and compact disc cases that can leach potential toxins into food.

Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS)

An analytical study performed at-source or end-of-pipe to categorize (segregate) and quantify solid waste streams for management planning.

Hauled-Container System (HCS)

A solid waste collection system where containers are hauled from the collection point to the disposal site, emptied, and returned.

Stationary-Container System (SCS)

A solid waste collection system where containers are emptied into collection vehicles at the point of pick-up without hauling the container itself.

Conventional Mode (HCS)

A Hauled-Container System operational mode in which a collection truck picks up a full container, hauls it to disposal, empties it, and returns it to the exact same pick-up point.

Exchange Container Mode

A Hauled-Container System operational mode (swap system) where a truck leaves an empty container at a site, picks up the full container for emptying, and delivers it to the next location.

Transfer Station

A facility where waste collected by smaller collection vehicles is transferred to larger bulk hauling equipment for long-distance transport to processing or disposal sites.

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

A specialized center where solid waste components are sorted, processed, and prepared for recycling or resource recovery.

Reuse

The act of utilizing a material more than once without changing its physical form or original intended function.

Recycling

The process of converting recovered waste materials into raw materials for manufacturing new products.

Open Dumpsite

An unregulated disposal site where solid waste is indiscriminately deposited without environmental engineering controls or soil compaction and cover.

Controlled Dumpsite

A transitional waste disposal site where solid waste undergoes basic compaction and daily soil covering, representing a step between open dumpsites and sanitary landfills.

Sanitary Landfill

An engineered disposal facility designed, constructed, and operated to isolate solid waste from the environment using liner systems, daily soil cover, leachate collection, and gas management.

Area Method

A landfilling operational technique where solid waste is spread and compacted directly on the ground surface and covered with imported soil; used in flat, rolling terrains, or canyons.

Trench Method

A landfilling operational technique where solid waste is placed and compacted inside an excavated trench, using the excavated earth as cover material.

Leachate

Contaminated liquid produced when moisture percolates through solid waste, extracting dissolved or suspended matter from the decomposing material.

Working Face

The active zone of a landfill cell where solid waste is currently unloaded, spread, and compacted during a given operational shift.