Integrated Solid Waste Management
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Integrated SWM combines all available tools in a program tailored to a specific installation. An effective SWM program will respond to the local waste characteristics, yet provide flexibility to cope with changing regulatory and market environments. |
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CN-38
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| Installation Operations - O&M Management Systems |
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| Army installations face many challenges in non-hazardous solid waste management (SWM): landfills, both on- and off-post are reaching capacity throughout the country; disposal costs are escalating at off-post landfills; and regulations affecting the disposal and recycling of solid waste are being promulgated at all levels of Government, including the Department of Defense. Army personnel need a single source of information to consult for assistance in designing and implementing an integrated SWM program that balances economics with regulatory requirements and ensures an environmentally responsible program. |
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| Integrated SWM involves combining all available tools in a program tailored to a specific installation. An effective SWM program will respond to the local waste characteristics, yet provide flexibility to cope with changing regulatory and market environments. The Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) conducts comprehensive research to assist installations in developing integrated SWM programs. The developed programs include waste stream characterizations, while complying with applicable regulations and minimizing SWM costs. Programs focus on a "highest use" principle that emphasizes waste reduction first, followed by recycling, composting, waste-to-energy, and landfilling as a last choice. Education is a key component of all SWM programs. |
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| In addition to fulfilling the requirement for regulatory compliance, integrated SWM provides substantial cost savings over the standard practice of landfilling. The cost of reducing waste and collecting and processing recyclables is lower than landfilling in most regions of the country. The benefit of landfill avoidance becomes even more important when the costs associated with siting, opening, and closing a new landfill are considered. |
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| CERL has provided assistance in integrated SWM to several Army installations, Major Army Commands, and other government agencies, including development of two source-specific (Office/Classroom and Food Service) Waste Reduction Guides for military distribution, compost guidance materials, and a computer-based integrated solid waste management planning tool. Current projects include documentation of lessons-learned in Army recycling; development of Army compost collection, processing, and application techniques; revision of the Army Recycling Guide; and technology transfer of the Solid Waste Options program (See CERL fact sheet Final 16) accompanying military user guide and demonstrations. |
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