MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL - Environmentally Conscious Materials Handling - page 141

Compost product

Composting

Transfer and
transport

Source reduction

Incineration
with/without
energy
recovery

Reduce : Package
design, backyard
composting
Reuse

Disposal/
Landfill

Consumers Collection

Separation
and processing
at MRF for
recycling

Residual

Consumer product

Reprocessing Recyclable material

Figure 5.3 The proposed flow chart of a typical municipal solid waste management system

yard wastes can be reduced or eliminated by backyard composting. Industries can
redesign products to reduce or eliminate waste. For example, they can lengthen
the useful life of the product, use less materials in the product and packaging, use
environmental friendly materials, design for secondary uses, and use paperless
purchase orders.
If source reduction and reuse of products are not possible, recycling will be
the next choice. Collecting recyclables varies from community to community,
but there are four primary methods: curbside, drop-off centers, buy-back cen-
ters, and deposit/refund programs. Regardless of the method used to collect the
recyclables, they are sent to a materials recovery facility (MRF) to be sorted
and prepared into marketable commodities for manufacturing. More and more of
today's products are being manufactured with total or partial recycled content.
This is the last step in the recycling stage. Recyclables are bought and sold just
like any other commodity, and prices for the materials will fluctuate with the
market.
Solid waste collection and transportation can be described as follows: The
waste is first put into waste bags or containers by individual households, after
being collected by small waste-collection vehicles. The waste is transported to
a transfer station for classification and pressing (transfer stations may not be
needed if the disposal facility is close to the source). Waste can then be sent to
a recycling center or an incinerator for resource and energy recovery. Finally,
the residuals are taken by larger vehicles to a sanitary landfill or final disposal.
The establishment of intermediate transfer stations where loose waste is pressed