Marjorie A. Franklin

No matter what method of solid waste management is being considered or implemented, an understanding of the characteristics of the waste stream is a must. Good planning goes beyond developing a snapshot of current waste composition; the long-term trends in waste stream characteristics are also important. If future quantities and components of the waste stream are under- or overestimated, then facilities may be over- or undersized, and project revenues and costs can be affected.

Most of the data presented in this chapter are taken from a report published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 1998 Update (Franklin Associates, 1999). This report, the latest in a series published periodically since the 1970s, includes nearly 40 years of historical data on municipal solid waste generation and management, with projections to the year 2005. An additional update of 1998 municipal solid waste data prepared for the EPA in 1999 was also used (Franklin Associates, 2000).