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Waste
Reduction:
Source
Reduction:
The design, manufacture, use or reuse of materials or
products (including packages) to reduce their amount
or toxicity throughout their useful life and when they
are reused, recycled, landfilled or incinerated. Because
it is intended to reduce pollution and conserve resources,
source reduction should not increase the net amount
or toxicity of wastes generated throughout the life
of a product. Source reduction is sometimes referred
to as waste prevention. (National Recycling Coalition:
Definitions Approved by NRC Board of Directors, September
10, 1995).
Waste-To-Energy:
The conversion and recovery of the energy value in waste
materials through the application of high temperature,
controlled combustion. The recovered thermal energy
can then be converted to electrical energy in steam
driven turbine generators for plant use and for export/sale,
or it can be exported and sold directly as steam or
hot water for industrial processes and space heating.
The recovered energy also can be used to generate chilled
water for industrial processes or air conditioning.
Most waste-to-energy projects employ combustion facilities
specifically designed to accommodate the anticipated
waste deliveries. These state-of-the-art, dedicated
boilers are designed to extract the maximum energy value
from the delivered waste materials and to simultaneously
reduce the generation of potentially harmful gases and
residues from the combustion process to well below stringent
regulatory levels. The waste materials routinely delivered
to such facilities include municipal solid wastes (MSW)
such as residential and commercial wastes; non-hazardous
institutional wastes; and non-hazardous, non-manufacturing
industrial solid wastes. Industrial plastic wastes and
post-consumer plastic plastics that cannot be economically
recycled provide an excellent source of fuel for waste-to-energy
facilities. There are other waste-to-energy projects
that utilize existing, appropriately modified industrial
or utility boilers to combust specially prepared fuels
derived from solid wastes-these are called refuse derived
fuels, or RDF. (Integrated Waste Services Association,
"Waste Energy," IWSA, Washington, Date Unknown; Keep
America Beautiful, Inc., "Overview: Solid Waste Disposal
Alternatives," KAB, Inc., Stamford, Conn., April 1989).
Waste
Wi$e:
A program initiated by EPA in 1994 to assist businesses
in taking cost-effective actions to reduce solid waste
through waste prevention, recycling collection, and
buying or manufacturing recycled products. (Waste Wi$e;
EPA's Voluntary Program for Reducing Business Solid
Waste. U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response, EPA530-F-93-018, October 1993).
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Plastic
Brief
