Solid Waste Management Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from lecture notes on solid waste management.

Hierarchy of Landfill Reduction

Prevention, Prepare for Reuse, Recycling, Other Recovery, Disposal

Common Recyclable Plastics

Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS)

Obstacles of Recycling

Location of wastes, Low value materials, Uncertainty of supply, Administrative and institutional constraints, Uncertain markets, Unclear definitions

EPA's Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) Strategies

Reducing the quantity of waste generated, Reusing the materials, Recycling and recovering materials, Combusting for energy recovery, Landfilling

Types of Special Wastes

Inert materials, Agricultural waste, Sludge from water and wastewater treatment facilities, Tires, Household hazardous waste, Medical waste

Components of Refuse

Solid waste generated by households, commercial businesses, and schools, Recyclables, Yard (green) waste, Litter and community trash

Municipal Solid Waste Characteristics

Composition by identifiable items, Moisture content, Particle size, Chemical composition, Heat value, Density, Mechanical properties, Biodegradability

Quartering (Solid Waste)

Separates the waste in quarters after it gets mixed together.

Refuse Heat Value (Highest to Lowest)

Mixed plastics, Cardboard, Newspapers, Food waste, Yard waste

Main Phases of Waste Collection

House to Can, Can to Truck, Truck from House to House, Truck Routing, Truck to Disposal

Truck-Routing Guidelines

Routes should not overlap; Starting point near truck garage; Avoid heavily traveled streets during rush hours; Loop one-way streets; Collect dead-end streets on the right side; Proceed downhill on hills; Use clockwise turns; Route long, straight paths first; Use standard paths; Avoid U-turns.

Transfer Station Considerations

Reduces distance for smaller dumpsters, Increases time for more loads to landfill, Allows more loads per day for dumpsters, Hauling cost efficiency

Semi-Automated Waste Collection

Involves multiple people to collect the waste (driver and one or more collectors).

Fully Automated Waste Collection

Involves one driver only.

Material Characteristics in Design

Particle size, Bulk density, Angle of repose, Material abrasiveness, Moisture content

MSW Storage Timing Concerns

Public health, fire concerns, odor, pests; limit storage to 2 days if possible.

First-In/First-Out (Waste Storage)

Whatever enters the storage unit first must be removed first when it is time to empty the storage since it has been in the storage longer.

Types of Conveyor Systems

Rubber-belted conveyors, Live bottom feeders, Pneumatic conveyors, Vibratory feeders, Screw feeders, Drag chains

Shredding in Waste Processing

Reduces landfill volume, allows better compaction, enables uniform settlement.

Granulating Plastic Wastes

Increases the density of the plastic

MRF

Materials Recovery Facilities

Dirty MRF

Mixed waste

Clean MRF

Separated and recyclable waste.

Polynary Separators

One with x and y; One with x=n (x1, x2, x3, x4)

Cascading Trommel Screens

Allows tumbling in a circular motion.

Cataracting Trommel Screens

Flings the materials as it tumbles and involves more speed and turbulence.

Electrostatic Separation of Plastics

Separating shredded plastics based on unique charges via electrodes.

MSW Components for Bioconversion

Garbage (food waste), Paper products, Yard wastes.

Gases Produced in Anaerobic Digestion

Methane, Carbon dioxide, Hydrogen sulfide, Ammonia

Acid Formers

Ferment and convert complex organic compounds to simple organic forms

Methane Formers

Converts acids to methane.

Composting Processes

Energy extraction and temperature control that kills pathogenic bacteria, eggs, and cysts

Composting Microorganism Characteristics

Non-fastidious, Ubiquitous, Persistent, Not picky

Btu (British Thermal Unit)

Amount of energy necessary to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

Cost in Benefit/Cost Analysis

Capital costs, operating costs, cost of residue disposal

Benefits in Benefit/Cost Analysis

Sale of energy, tipping fees charged to users

Pyrolysis

Decomposition and destructive distillation or combustion in the absence of oxygen

Gasification

Conversion to gas with a limited amount of oxygen.

Mass-Burn Units

No pre-processing before combustion.

Refuse-Derived Units (RDF)

Pre-processing before combustion.

Fatal Flaws for Landfill Sites

Small site, flood plain, wetlands, seismic zone proximity, endangered species habitat, close to airport, densely populated area, sacred lands.

NIMBY

Not in my backyard

BANANA

Build absolutely nowhere and near anybody

Landfill Degradation Phases

Initial Adjustment Phase, Transition Phase, Acid Formation Phase, Methane Fermentation Phase, Maturation Phase

Leachate Collection System

Prevents groundwater contamination through protective and drainage layers, perforated pipes, pump station, etc.

Passive Landfill Gas Collection

Vents that release gas without treatment.

Active Landfill Gas Collection

Collection wells extracting gas through vacuum.

Landfill Gas Applications

Boilers, vehicle fuel, synthetic fuels, electrical power generation, pipeline-quality gas.

Post-Closure Care

Maintenance of final cover, operation of leachate system, groundwater & gas-migration monitoring.

Capital Solid Waste Costs

Bank loans, general obligation bonds, and revenue bonds.

O&M Solid Waste Costs

Expenditures that are agreed and voted upon by a group of people

Remedy A (Texas Risk Reduction Program)

Self-implementation, no physical controls, sometimes institutional controls, no ecological services analyses, no PRAC or financial assurance

Remedy B (Texas Risk Reduction Program)

No self-implementation, physical controls allowed, always institutional controls, ecological services analyses, PRAC, and financial assurance involved

Class 1 Groundwater (Texas)

A reliable source of water and is within 0.5 miles of a public water supply, fresh water quality.

Class 2 Groundwater (Texas)

Brackish or saline quality

Class 3 Groundwater (Texas)

Anything that doesn’t meet the class 2 criteria.