Municipal solid waste: large pile of used newspapers. |
The municipal solid waste industry has four components:
recycling, composting, landfilling, and waste-to-energy via incineration. Municipal
solid waste is total waste excluding industrial waste, agricultural waste, and
sewage sludge. As defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it includes
durable goods, non-durable goods, containers and packaging, food wastes, yard
wastes, and miscellaneous inorganic wastes from residential, commercial, institutional,
and industrial sources. Examples from these categories include: appliances, newspapers,
clothing, food scrapes, boxes, disposable tableware, office and classroom paper,
wood pallets, rubber tires, and cafeteria wastes. Waste-to-energy combustion
and landfill gas are byproducts of municipal solid waste. Renewable
Information Team
Methodology for Allocating Municipal Solid Waste to Biogenic and Non-Biogenic
Energy This report summarizes the methodology used to split the
heat content of municipal solid waste (MSW) into its biogenic and non-biogenic
shares. Database
of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE)
A comprehensive source of information
on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable
energy.
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