Weight-Based Measurement of Tenant GeneratedRecyclables, Compost-Target, and Household HazardousWaste at a 28-Unit Apartment Complex: Going Where FewHave Gone Before

摘要

Some municipal recycling programs fail to acquire sufficient quantities of commodities,rnespecially high-value material, (e.g., aluminum, etc.). While Multi-Family Dwellings (MFDs)rnpotentially generate copious quantities of recyclables and organics, few of them have access torncurbside recycling programs. Scientific determination of solid-waste compositions andrnquantities is widely understood to be an important step in the development of municipal wasternmanagement programs, including recycling and organics collection. Little has been publishedrnregarding solid-waste characterization studies undertaken at MFDs. Most such conductedrnstudies concern representative samples of wastes generated by entire municipalities, counties, orrnlarge educational institutions. Where direct sampling is used in waste composition analyses, itrnoften occurs at landfills, waste transfer stations, or waste processing and conversion facilities.rnWhile these researches can provide information useful to the development of recycling andrnrelated programs, they are sometimes insufficient. First, they rarely specifically target MFDrncomplexes, missing what is often a large segment of the population whose demographics andrnconsumption habits may not be shared by residents of single-family dwellings. Second, they arernundertaken in limited locations across the US and are not representative of all geographicalrnareas. Finally, they are often dated. As a result, the information gathered may be ofrnquestionable value to solid-waste planners and communities either considering implementingrnrecycling collection programs at MFD complexes or in evaluating on-going programs at them.rnAn on-going solid-waste quantification - composition study, focused on the recyclables,rnorganics, and household hazardous waste (HHW) fractions, examined the waste generation ofrnresidents in a 28-unit apartment complex in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This paper’s purpose is tornpresent preliminary results of the study. We detail data and information generated to date alongrnwith collection methodology, and present descriptive statistics centered on means and coefficientrnof variation. Implications for future waste composition studies are highlighted.