Municipal waste

WASTE MANAGEMENT
AND TECHNOLOGY
Martin Kubal
Institute of Chemical Technology in
Prague

municipal waste - terminology

Municipal solid waste, commonly known as trash or garbage
(US), refuse or rubbish (UK) is a waste type consisting of
everyday items we consume and discard.

Municipal waste is made up of residual waste, bulky waste,

secondary materials from separate collection (e.g., paper and
glass), household hazardous waste, street sweepings and litter
collections. It is made up of materials such as paper, cardboard,
metals, textiles, organics (food and garden waste) and wood.

municipal waste - definitions

The EU defines Municipal Solid Waste as waste from households, as
well as other waste, which, because of its nature or composition, is similar
to waste from households (EU Landfill Directive 99/31/EC).
Czech Republic (Act No. 185/2001 Coll.): municipal waste means all
waste generated in the territory of a municipality in connection with the
activities of natural persons and which is stated to be municipal waste in
an implementing legal regulation, with the exception of waste produced
by legal entities or natural persons authorised to conduct business.
The definition of municipal waste varies across the EU member states. Different countries
include different elements. France, for example, includes sewage sludge in the definition.
For all municipalities in Denmark (which does not specifically define municipal waste), all
wastes are the responsibility of the municipality. Elsewhere, such as in Austria and Ireland,
relatively large quantities of non-household waste are collected in the municipal fraction. The
one thing common to all countries. definition of municipal waste is household waste.
Concentrating on this fraction facilitates cross-country comparisons.

history of municipal waste production

The amounts of municipal waste produced by
human population were very small through most
of the history. The production was kept low till
19. century.
The composition of municipal waste was
significantly changed within the last decades
showing decreasing participation of ash.

dustbin, garbage can, whellie can

in Czech = popelnice (ash container)

history of municipal waste production

520 kg

Municipal waste generation and treatment in Europe (kg per capita), about 520
kg per capita since 2002
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/

There have been significant changes in the composition of household waste over the
last 100 years which can be traced back to fundamental social and economic shifts
affecting the way we live our everyday lives, as is traced in the above chronology.
Waste and Recycling: an exploration of contemporary
environmental policy. Sources:Atkinson, W. and New, R. (1993)

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/

Municipal waste treated in 2009 by country and treatment category, sorted by

percentage

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/

municipal waste composition

average within EU

The average composition can widely vary from one country to another.
http://www.eoearth.org

(Mixed) Municipal Solid Waste

separable

domestic hazardous waste

biodegradable
recyclable
glass (green clear)
plastics
paper
composite materials
metals aluminium

residual
fraction

municipal waste residual fraction

landfill

http://waterconsult.org

municipal waste residual fraction

landfill

http://depos.cz/sekce-skladka

municipal waste residual fraction

incinerator

http://www.mssch.cz/node/275

municipal waste
domestic hazardous waste

Safe disposal at the local

waste and recycling
center

http://web.svitavy.cz

municipal waste
separable fraction
three separation systems

Separation at the source

and transport by municipal
collection vehicles to the
processing facility
Drop off system
Buy back system

secondary uses for separated glass

- new glass production
- special materials (foam glass)
- sanitary ceramics
- flux agent in bricks manufacture
- water filtration media
- abrasive
difficult to consume all of the
recycled glass today

secondary uses for separ. plastics

- production of fibers and fabrics
- containers
- injection moulded components
-building materials
- packing materials
- household products
difficult to consume all of the
recycled plastics today

secondary uses for separ. paper

- production of new paper
- packing materials
- household products

metals recycling

Relative representation of municipal waste

all the waste types generated in Europe
agricultural waste

30 80%

electrical and electronic waste

0.4 %

mining waste

28 30 %

construction and demolition waste

25 %

hazardous waste

1%

industrial waste

2%

municipal waste

10 15 %

Important for exam

Unit amounts (per person) of municipal waste produced in EU
Typical composition of municipal waste in EU
Main treatment processes for municipal waste in EU