Lesson 1 - Introduction to Solid Waste Management

 Part 2 - Overview of Course Topics

Objective:

Goals:

 

Assignments:

SOLID WASTE GENERATION, COMPOSITION, and PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

THE HISTORICAL TREND (note the source report date and the scale on the X-axis)

RECENT DATA

SOLID WASTE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

COLLECTION AND TRANSPORT:

THINK: WHAT DOES WASTE COLLECTION COST?

Based on

What does the U.S. spend every year on the collection of wastes for

  1. disposal (landfilling + waste to energy), and
  2. recovery (recylcling + composting)?

RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING:

ULTIMATE DISPOSAL - Landfilling and Waste-to-Energy (Incineration):

WHAT DOES DISPOSAL COST?

IMPORTANT: The costs expressed in the figure below are disposal costs.  The cost incurred at an Incinerator (possibly with energy recovery, WTE) or a Landfill.  Costs associated with recycling, collection, transport, etc. are not included.

 THINK: 

Based on

  • 1) the most recent waste generation data available to you (258.5 million tons in 2014),
  • 2) the most recent waste management data available to you (Management of MSW in the U.S. Pie Chart above), and
  • 3) 2004 tipping fees (~$35 for landfills and ~$62 for WTE facilities);

what does the U.S. spend on waste disposal every year?

WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR HOMELAND SECURITY INCIDENTS:

Page last updated January 08, 2019 by  Dr. McCreanor