The Economics of Municipal Solid Waste

Abstract

Box 1. Glossary Aerobic composting. A method of composting organic wastes using bacteria and other organisms that need oxygen. Requires that oxygen be diffused throughout the organic material, either by mixing the material to expose it to air or bv forcing air through perforated pipes that pass through the material. Anaerobic composting. A relatively slow method of composting organic wastes using bacteria that cannot function in the presence of oxygen. Collection. Gathering Msw from where it is generated and transporting it to a transfer station, processing facility, or landfill to safeguard public health, limit congestion, and preclude unpleasant odors and offensive sights. Compost. A soil amendment derived from decomposed organic wastes. Valuable in agriculture, horticulture, and land reclamation because it improves the abilitv of soil to retain moisture and chemical fertilizers and to resist erosion. Can also be used as a feedstock in aquaculture and as intermediate cover in MSW landfills to reduce the volume of waste and prevent waste from attracting pests or blowing away into residential neighborhoods. Disability-adjusted life-year. A measure of the burden of disease representing the present value of future vears of disability-free life that are lost because of premature deaths or cases of disability that occur in a particular year (World Bank 1993). Disposal. Isolation and containment of the residual waste left after processing. Landfilling. Disposal of MSW by burying it. Leachate. Liquid that has seeped throughl Nisw in a landfill and has accumulated possibly harmful dissolved or suspended materials. Materials-balance analysis. A method for estimating MSW generation based on the weight of the domestic output of nondurable goods minus net exports and of discards of durable goods (based on past domestic production minus net exports and on estimated product lifetimes) adjusted for an estimate of permanent diversions from the waste stream. Examples of permanent diversions: paperboard used in construction, and sanitary papers disposed of in sewage systems. Methane. By-product of anaerobic composting; can be used as a fuel. Municipal solid waste (Msw). All solid wastes generated in a community except for industrial and agricultural wastes. Generally includes discarded durable and nondurable goods, containers and packaging, food scraps, Yard trimmings, and miscellaneous inorganic debris, including household hazardous wastes and often construction and demolition debris and sludges and ashes generated by sewage treatment plants and Msw incinerators. Sources of Msw include households, commercial enterprises such as food markets and offices, and institutions such as schools, transportation terminals, and hospitals. Processing facility. Facility that transforms the physical characteristics of msw by recycling, composting, burning, or compacting to reduce the threat it poses to human health and ecosystems, improve its disposability, and possibly capture value from the waste. Recycling. The act of gathering and refining...

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