Glossary
Agricultural Waste
Waste generated from farming activities, including crop residues, animal manure, and discarded farm materials.
Example:
Leftover corn stalks after harvest or cow manure from a dairy farm are forms of agricultural waste.
Commercial Waste
Solid waste generated by businesses, offices, and commercial establishments.
Example:
Cardboard boxes from product deliveries to a retail store and discarded office paper are types of commercial waste.
Composting
A natural process of decomposition where organic materials, such as food scraps and yard waste, are broken down by microorganisms into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
Example:
A gardener might create a composting pile in their backyard to turn vegetable peels and leaves into fertile soil for their plants.
Construction & Demolition Waste
Debris generated from building construction, renovation, and demolition activities.
Example:
Broken concrete, wood scraps, and discarded drywall from a building site are classified as construction & demolition waste.
Electronic Waste (E-waste)
Discarded electronic devices and appliances, such as computers, phones, televisions, and other gadgets.
Example:
An old, broken smartphone or a discarded computer monitor is considered e-waste.
Hazardous Waste
Waste that is toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, flammable, corrosive, or explosive, requiring strict regulation for disposal.
Example:
Discarded car batteries, certain industrial solvents, and old pesticides are examples of hazardous waste.
Incineration
A waste disposal method that involves burning waste at high temperatures to reduce its volume and sometimes generate energy.
Example:
Some cities use incineration to significantly reduce the amount of municipal solid waste that needs to be landfilled.
Industrial Waste
Waste generated from manufacturing processes, factories, and industrial operations. This can include chemicals, machinery parts, and byproducts.
Example:
Sludge from a chemical plant or metal scraps from an automobile factory are examples of industrial waste.
Landfilling
A common waste disposal method where waste is buried in a designated area, often covered with layers of soil or other materials.
Example:
Most household trash in the United States is sent to a landfill for disposal.
Mass Burn Incinerator
A specific type of incinerator that burns unprocessed municipal solid waste at very high temperatures to reduce volume, often producing energy but also air pollutants.
Example:
A mass burn incinerator can process thousands of tons of garbage daily, converting it into ash and heat.
Medical Waste
Waste generated from healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and laboratories. This often includes sharps, contaminated materials, and medical equipment.
Example:
Used syringes, bandages, and expired medications from a hospital are examples of medical waste.
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
Waste generated from homes, businesses, and city buildings, often referred to as everyday trash or garbage. It includes items like paper, plastics, food scraps, and yard waste.
Example:
The contents of a typical household garbage can, such as food wrappers, plastic bottles, and junk mail, constitute municipal solid waste.
Non-Municipal Solid Waste
Waste primarily generated by industrial, agricultural, mining, and oil/gas operations, making up the vast majority of total waste.
Example:
Large quantities of coal ash from a power plant or wastewater sludge from a treatment facility are examples of non-municipal solid waste.
Ocean Dumping
The practice of disposing of waste directly into the ocean, which is largely banned in many countries due to severe environmental pollution.
Example:
Historically, cities might have engaged in ocean dumping of sewage or industrial waste, leading to widespread marine pollution.
Pollution
The introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment, causing adverse effects on air, water, soil, and living organisms.
Example:
Improper disposal of industrial chemicals can lead to severe water pollution in nearby rivers and lakes.
Recycling
The process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products.
Example:
Turning old plastic bottles into new fleece jackets or aluminum cans into new beverage containers is an act of recycling.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
A hierarchy of waste management strategies, prioritizing minimizing waste generation, extending product lifespan, and processing materials for new products, in that order.
Example:
Choosing to reduce consumption by bringing a reusable bag, reuse old jars for storage, and recycle plastic bottles demonstrates this principle.
Residential Waste
Solid waste generated from households, including everyday items discarded by individuals and families.
Example:
Discarded food packaging, old newspapers, and broken toys from a home are examples of residential waste.
Sanitary Landfill
A type of landfill designed with liners (clay, plastic) and leachate collection systems to prevent contamination of groundwater and often includes methane collection.
Example:
A modern sanitary landfill might capture methane gas produced by decomposing waste to generate electricity.
Secure Landfill
A specialized type of landfill designed with extra thick liners and monitoring systems specifically for the disposal of hazardous waste.
Example:
Chemical companies must send their highly toxic byproducts to a secure landfill to prevent environmental contamination.
Superfund Sites
Contaminated sites in the United States identified by the EPA as posing a significant risk to human health and the environment due to hazardous waste, requiring long-term cleanup.
Example:
The Love Canal disaster, where a neighborhood was built on a buried toxic waste dump, led to it being designated a Superfund site.
Waste
Any unwanted or discarded material that is no longer useful or necessary. While nature reuses everything, human activities generate materials considered useless.
Example:
After a picnic, the leftover food scraps and plastic bottles are considered waste.
Waste-to-Energy Conversion
A process that converts non-recyclable waste materials into usable heat, electricity, or fuel through various technologies like incineration or gasification.
Example:
A facility that burns municipal solid waste to produce steam for electricity generation is an example of waste-to-energy conversion.