TABLE OF CONTENTS Hilary Theisen
Collection of commingled (unseparated) and separated (recyclables) solid waste is a critical part of any solid waste management program. As used here, collection starts with the containers holding materials that a generator has designated as no longer useful (solid waste and recyclables) and ends with the transportation of solid wastes or recyclables to a location for processing (e.g., a materials recovery facility), transfer, or disposal. Solid waste collection involves both the provision of a service and the selection of appropriate technologies. The service aspect is set through an agreement between waste generators and the waste collector or collection agency, and the waste collection contractor or agency selects the technology to be used for collection. The purpose of this chapter is to identify the various combinations of service and technology that are now used for the collection of wastes. Six specific topics to be addressed include:
The logistics of solid waste management
The types of waste collection services
The types of collection systems, equipment, and personnel requirements
The collection routes
The management of collection systems
The collection system economics
[*] Adapted from Tchobanoglous et al. (1993).
The management of collection is most difficult and complex in an urban environment because the generation of residential and commercial-industrial solid waste and recyclables takes place in every home, every apartment building, and every commercial and industrial facility, as well as in the streets, parks, and even vacant areas. As the patterns of waste...
