Importance of Solid Waste Assessment And Quantification: New Jersey Counties Case Study

Abstract

The State of New Jersey (The State) established yearly waste reduction and recycling goals that target recycling 50% of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Type 10 (ID# 10) waste and 60% of the entire waste stream. In order to assist the State with meeting the waste reduction and recycling goals, the project team performed a yearlong waste stream composition study, including physical inspection and assessment of the individual constituents, to create reliable, upto-date ID #10 MSW data by a percentage of total MSW weight. Identifying the source of the waste stream as rural (population density less than 500 people/sq. mile), suburban (population density between 500 to 1999 people/sq. mile), urban (population density is 2000 or more people /sq. mile) is critical for understanding the waste generation trends of these residential areas. Study revealed that food waste, plastic waste and compostable paper are the highest weight percentage components of residential and commercial ID#10 MSW. The study is a comprehensive analysis which can serve as an efficient decision-making tool.