Background
The sustainability movement has reached the business models of nearly every industry in
the United States, and many companies have set aggressive sustainability goals that
include how their waste stream is managed. Dozens of municipalities and states have
launched similarly aggressive initiatives. The EREF Board of Directors has set an
initiative to ensure research funded reflects EREF’s long-term strategic research plan to
address all areas of integrated solid waste management, with a strong focus towards
research that increased sustainable solid waste management practices. While landfills
continue to play an important role in integrated waste management, and will receive the
majority of MSW in the near future in the U.S. (and in the majority of other countries), it
has been recognized that a sustainable future requires consideration of other end-of-life
technologies for discarded materials. Thus, sustainability, as it relates to solid waste
management is a focus on utilizing waste as a resource. The desired outcomes of
research funded by this RFP are to:
(a) facilitate the development of new and existing technologies/practices prior to the
landfilling option,
(b) develop robust data that will provide guidance regarding how product
manufacturing is shaping the downstream disposal of wastes (e.g. product
disposability/biodegradability, reduced packaging), and
(c) evaluate ‘next generation’ technologies for processing or converting discarded
materials into energy or beneficial products.
(d) advance knowledge of issues related to landfills that advance sustainable solid
waste management practices, mitigate risk, or protect environmental and public
welfare
EREF is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is one of the largest sources of
funding for solid waste research in the U.S. EREF is not affiliated with any other entity
or group and governed by a duly elected Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is
the decision-making body that has responsibility for establishing policies that define
program interests and fundamental objectives to be served by the Foundation.