Table of Contents

Solid Waste

Definition from United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)
Any garbage or refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities.

It is important to note that the definition of solid waste is not limited to wastes that are physically solid. Many solid wastes are liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material.

Characterised as:

• Abandoned
• Inherently Waste-Like
• A Discarded Military Munition
• Recycled in Certain Ways

From New York State’s Solid Waste Program
Solid wastes are any discarded or abandoned materials. Solid wastes can be solid, liquid, semi-solid or containerized gaseous material.

Municipal solid waste (MSW)

From Wikipedia
Known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. Although the waste may originate from a number of sources that has nothing to do with a municipality, the traditional role of municipalities in collecting and managing these kinds of waste have produced the particular etymology ‘municipal.’