Decision Makers' Guide to Solid Waste Management

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The EPA developed the Decision Maker's Guide to Solid Waste Management for solid waste management practitioners:

Local government officials;
Facility owners and operators;
Consultants; and
Regulatory agency specialists.

This guide contains technical and economic information to help these practitioners meet the daily challenges of planning, managing, and operating municipal solid waste (MSW) programs and facilities. Its primary goals are to:

Encourage reduction of waste at the source, and
Foster implementation of integrated solid waste management systems that are cost-effective and protect human health and the environment.

You will need the free Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

You may download those sections of the guide that are of interest to you:

Cover (PDF) (1 pg, 141K)
Title Page (PDF) (1 pg, 12K)
Preface (PDF) (3 pp, 25K)
Chapter 1: Public Education and Involvement (PDF) (14 pp, 495K)
Chapter 2: Facility Siting and Permitting (PDF) (18 pp, 75 K)
Chapter 3: Develop and Waste Management Program (PDF) (16 pp, 72K)
Chapter 4: Collection and Transfer (PDF) (38 pp, 128K)
Chapter 5: Source Reduction (PDF) (24 pp, 130K)
Chapter 6: Recycling (PDF) (52 pp, 236K)
Chapter 7: Composting (PDF) (58 pp, 1.6MB)
Chapter 8: Combustion (PDF) (46 pp, 258K)
Chapter 9: Land Disposal (PDF) (66 pp, 420K)
Glossary (PDF) (11 pp, 49K)

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Decision Makers' Guide to Solid Waste Management

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