Solid Waste Management and Treatment Services

Solid waste management and solid waste treatment services collect, process, and dispose of solid waste. Typically, a solid waste management and treatment service helps municipalities businesses to manage solid waste by coordinating several activities. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these activities include: source reduction, recycling and composting, and disposal in landfills or waste combustors. Source reduction alters the design, manufacture, or use of products to reduce the amount and toxicity of trash or garbage. Recycling diverts items such as paper and metals from the waste stream. Solid waste collection and scrap collection allows recycled materials to be processed into new products. Composting is a naturally-occurring process that decomposes organic waste to produce a humus-like substance. Proper solid waste disposal requires waste characterization, the description of chemical and physical properties, either directly or indirectly.