The garbage that is managed by local governments is known as municipal solid waste (MSW). Specifically, MSW is waste generated by commercial and household sources that is collected and either recycled, incinerated, or disposed of in MSW landfills. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) separates MSW into several categories, including containers and packaging, yard wastes, durable goods, and nondurable goods. Examples ofA bulldozer moving on top of a large mound of garbage. (
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Reproduced by permission.
)
durable goods, which are designed to last longer than three years, include appliances, tires, batteries, and electronic equipment. Newspapers, clothing, disposable tableware, office paper, wood pallets, and diapers, which all have a lifetime of less than three years, are types of nondurable goods. MSW does not include domestic sewage and other municipal wastewater treatment sludges, demolition and construction debris, agricultural and mining residues, combustion ash, and wastes from industrial processes. These types of waste, known collectively as industrial solid waste, are largely excluded from hazardous waste regulation; programs addressing industrial solid waste are still in their infancy.
During the 1980s, solid waste management issues emerged in the United States due to the increasing amounts of solid waste generated, shrinking landfill capacity, rising disposal costs, and strong opposition to the siting of new solid waste facilities. This problem was illustrated by the much-publicized Mobro garbage barge, which traveled on a six-month odyssey before the garbage was finally disposed of in New York state, where it was originally generated.
With millions of households and businesses generating garbage in the United States, developing a national management program is challenging. Instead of federal regulations dictating how solid wastes should be managed, solid-waste programs are managed by states and municipalities on the local level according to individual community needs. With the exception of federally mandated landfill design and operating criteria to ensure the protection of groundwater and requirements for the federal purchase of products containing recovered materials, the EPA's role in implementing solid-waste management programs includes setting national goals, providing leadership and technical assistance, and developing educational materials.
Read more: http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Solid-Waste.html#ixzz3yp0XqEO2
Read more: http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Solid-Waste.html#ixzz3yp0O2rlo