Solid waste continued municipal

Landfill historically has been the most common way of disposing of solid waste, including municipal solid waste. Landfill involves disposal that is at least partially underground in excavated cells, quarries, or natural depressions. Usually fill is continued above ground to utilize space most efficiently and provide a grade for drainage of precipitation. 

Mercury thermometers have been used for decades. In some instances their use has been discontinued, such as in infant incubators where it was found that significant mercury vapor concentrations could be achieved if the thermometers were broken in this enclosed environment. Disposal of thermometers and thermostats continues to add significandy to the toxicity of municipal waste. In 1995, discarded thermometers contributed 16.9 tons of mercury to municipal solid waste stream. 

The total amount of waste generated in South Korea in 2003 was 300,000 ton day-1. Construction waste, a dominant waste-type in South Korea, has increased from 16% in 1966 to 49% of the total amount of the waste currently. Almost 90% of this waste is recycled and just 1.5% is incinerated. Thus, the proportion of solid waste that is incinerated (6%) is rather small, relative to other countries in Asia (Fig. 2.4). However, the proportion of municipal and industrial waste that contributes to 17% and 34% of the waste that is incinerated has increased continuously. In 1993, the ratio of municipal solid waste (MSW) that was incinerated in South... 

Municipal solid waste Mass burn Waterwall furnace Reciprocating or other continuous moving grate Most newer municipal-scale facilities... 

The problems associated with the environmentally safe, sustainable and efficient disposal of waste continue to grow. In many areas, existing landfills are beginning to fill up, and the cost of disposal continues to increase while the types of wastes accepted at municipal solid waste landfills is becoming more and more restricted. One answer to all of these problems lies in the abihty of society to develop beneficial uses for these waste products. 

Consumption of virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin in the United States and Canada totaled 5110 million pounds in 2000 [3]. Bottles were by far the largest application (Fig. 4.8). Soft drink bottles continue to be the largest use for PET bottles, but other applications (custom bottles) have been growing at a much faster rate for the past several years. According to EPA estimates, soft drink bottles accounted for 49.4% of all PET packaging in U.S. municipal solid waste in 1998, and 53.2% of all PET containers in municipal solid waste [1]. 

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