Collection of Solid Waste

Lec # 5

Collection of Solid Waste

Collection of commingled (un separated) and separated (recyclables) solid waste is a critical part of any solid waste management program. As used here, collection starts with the containers holding materials that a generator has designated as no longer useful (solid waste and recyclables) and ends with the transportation of solid wastes or recyclables to a location for processing (e.g. a materials recovery facility), transfer, or disposal. The service aspect is set through an agreement between waste generators and the waste collector or collection agency, and the waste collection contractor or agency selects the technology to be used for collection.

Six specific topics to be addressed include:

1. The logistics of solid waste management. 2. The types of waste collection services. 3. The types of collection systems, equipment, and personnel requirements. 4. The collection routes. 5. The management of collection systems. 6. The collection system economics.

THE LOGISTICS OF SOLID WASTE COLLECTION

The management of collection is most difficult and complex in an urban environment because the generation of residential and commercial-industrial solid waste and recyclables takes place in every home, every apartment building, and every commercial and industrial facility, as well as in the streets, parks, and even vacant areas. As the patterns of waste generation become more diffuse and the total quantity of waste increases, the logistics of collection become more complex. Managers of collection systems must recognize and deal with the concerns of a population paying bills for services that reflect the high cost of fuel and labor. Of the total amount of money spent on solid waste management (collection, transport, processing, recycling, and disposal),approximately 50 to 70 percent is spent on the collection activity. Because such a large fraction of the total cost is associated with the collection operation, a small percentage improvement in the collection operation can affect a significant savings in the overall system cost.

THE LOGISTICS OF SOLID WASTE COLLECTION

The management of collection is most difficult and complex in an urban environment because the generation of residential and commercial-industrial solid waste and recyclables takes place in every home, every apartment building, and every commercial and industrial facility, as well as in the streets, parks, and even vacant areas. As the patterns of waste generation become more diffuse and the total quantity of waste increases, the logistics of collection become more complex. Managers of collection systems must recognize and deal with the concerns of a population paying bills for services that reflect the high cost of fuel and labor. Of the total amount of money spent on solid waste management (collection, transport, processing, recycling, and disposal),approximately 50 to 70 percent is spent on the collection activity. Because such a large fraction of the total cost is associated with the collection operation, a small percentage improvement in the collection operation can affect a significant savings in the overall system cost.

TYPES OF WASTE COLLECTION SERVICES

The term collection includes not only the collection of solid wastes from the various sources but also the hauling of these wastes to the location where the contents of the collection vehicles are emptied and the unloading of the collection vehicle (Tchobanoglous et al., 1993). The principal types of collection services that are now used for Commingled (un separated) wastes Source-separated wastes

Collection of Commingled (Un separated) Wastes

The collection of wastes from low-rise detached dwellings, from medium-rise apartments, from highrise apartments, and from commercial-industrial facilities are considered.

 From Low-Rise Detached Dwellings

The five most common types of residential collection services used for low-rise detached dwellings include (1) curb, (2) alley, (3) setout-setback and (4) setout, and (5) backyard carry

Comparison of Residential MSW Collection Services for Both Commingled and Source-Separated Solid Waste According to the Placement of Containers for Collection

From Low and Medium-Rise Apartments

Curbside collection service is common for most low- and medium-rise apartments. Typically, the maintenance staff is responsible for transporting the containers to the street for curbside collection by manual or mechanical means. In many com-munities, the collector is responsible for transporting containers from a storage location to the collection vehicle. Where large containers are used, the contents of the containers are emptied mechanically using collection vehicles equipped with unloading mechanisms.

Collection of wastes from containers placed at curb by homeowner (a) with a side-loading vehicle equipped with a right-hand standup drive mechanism,

Rear-loading collection vehicle. The rear-loaded type of collection vehicle is commonly used with two- and three-person crews for the collection of residential wastes in many parts of the United States.

Emptying containers used for both commingled and source-separated wastes at an apartment complex. In the situation shown in the photo, the collector is responsible for bringing the loaded containers to the collection vehicle to be unloaded

From High-Rise Apartments

In high-rise apartment buildings (higher than seven stories), the most common methods of handling commingled wastes involve one or more of the following: Wastes are picked up by building maintenance personnel from the various floors and taken to the basement or service area. Wastes are taken to the basement or service area by tenants. Wastes, usually bagged, are placed by the tenants in a waste chute system, which is used for the collection of commingled waste at a centralized service location

Schematic of a trash chute system for the collection of wastes from highrise apartments. ( a) For an individual apartment, the chute system will normally terminate in the basement

 In some of the more recent apartment building developments, especially in Europe, under-ground pneumatic transport systems have been used in conjunction with the individual apartment chutes (see Fig.). The underground pneumatic systems are used to transport the wastes from the chute discharge points to centralized processing facilities. Both air pressure and vacuum transport systems have been used in this application.

In a large apartment complex, composed of a number of buildings, the wastes from the individual apartment building are transported using an underground pneumatic system to a centralized processing facility.

From Commercial-Industrial Facilities

Both manual and mechanical collection are used for the collection of wastes from commercial facilities. Because many large cities have extreme traffic congestion during the day, solid wastes from commercial establishments are collected in the late evening and early morning hours. Where manual collection is used during the evening hours, wastes from commercial establishments are put into plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and other disposable containers, which are placed on the curb for collection. Waste collection is usually accomplished with a three- or, in some cases, four-person crew, consisting of a driver and two or three collectors who load the wastes from the curbside into the collection vehicle. In most evening collection operations, the driver remains with the collection vehicle for reasons of safety.

Mechanically loading collection vehicle

 Where traffic congestion is not a major problem and space for storing containers is avail-able, the collection service provided to commercial-industrial facilities is centered around the use of large movable containers.

Typical examples of large containers used for the collection of wastes from commercial establishments (a) at rear of large department store in a shopping mall, and (b) in downtown location.

Collection of Wastes Separated at the Source

Typically, wastes separated at the source are separated for recovery and reuse (recycled). The three principal methods now used for the collection of recyclable materials from residential sources include 1. Curbside collection using conventional and specially designed collection vehicles. 2. Incidental curbside collection by charitable organizations.

From Low-Rise Detached Dwellings

In a curbside system, source-separated recyclables are collected separately from commingled waste at the curbside ,in the alley, or at commercial facilities. Because residents and businesses do not have to transport the recyclables any further than the curb, participation in curbside programs is typically much higher than for drop-off programs. Curbside programs vary greatly from community to community.

Curbside programs
Some programs require residents to separate several different materials (e.g., newspaper,plastic, glass, and metals) that are stored in their own containers and collected separately. Other programs use only one container to store commingled recyclables or two containers,one for paper and the other for heavy recyclables (e.g., glass, aluminum, and tin cans).Clearly, the method used to collect source-separated wastes will impact directly the layout and design of separation and processing facilities.

Typical examples of source-separated materials placed at the curbside for collection. (a) From a residential area. ( b) Recyclable wastes along with commingled waste from commercial establishments placed on sidewalk in New York City to be collected in the evening or early morning hours.

Typical collection vehicles used for the collection of source-separated waste: (a) stand-up right-hand-drive, side-loaded collection vehicle with three separate compartments, using low collection troughs that are emptied mechanically. ( b) Stand-up right-hand-drive open-top side-loaded collection vehicle. (c) Stand-up right-hand-drive side-loaded collection vehicle with three low-loading height compartments. (d) Stand-up-drive collection vehicle with mobile containers. When the containers are filled, they are emptied with a forklift.

From High-Rise Apartments

In high-rise apartment buildings, the most common methods of handling commingled and source-separated wastes involve one or more of the following: Recyclable and commingled wastes are picked up by building maintenance personnel from the various floors and taken to the basement or service area and placed in separate containers Recyclable wastes are taken to the basement or service area by tenants or building maintenance personnel and placed in separate containers, and, where available, other commingled waste is placed by the tenants in specially designed waste chutes, as described previously for commingled collection.

Collection of non containerized yard waste placed in the street by the homeowner. (a) View of claw device mounted on a wheeled tractor used to pick up yard wastes. (b) Modified-compaction-type collection vehicle used in conjunction with claw. The collected yard wastes are hauled to a processing facility to be composted.

TYPES OF COLLECTION SYSTEMS, EQUIPMENT, AND PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

When considering collection technology, the basic components are surface streets and road ways, over-the-road trucks, and sturdy containers for storage. There have not been dramatic changes to these components since motor-driven vehicles replaced horse-drawn carts. Types of Collection Systems Solid waste collection systems may be classified from several points of view, such as the mode of operation, the equipment used, and the types of waste collected 1. Hauled container systems 2. Stationary container systems

There are three main types of HCSs: Hoist truck Tilt-frame con Trash trailer

For the collection of wastes by a collector who has a small operation and collects from only a few pickup points at which a considerable amount of wastes are generated. Generally, for such operations the purchase of newer and more efficient collection equipment cannot be justified economically. For the collection of bulky items and industrial rubbish not suitable for collection with compaction vehicles

Hoist-truck mechanism mounted on truck frame. Photo was taken in the 1960s at a naval installation. Although the truck style has changed, the hoist mechanism is essentially unchanged and is still used today

Tilt-Frame Container Systems Systems that use tilt-frame-loaded vehicles and large containers, often called drop boxes or roll-off containers, are ideally suited for the collection of all types of solid waste and rubbish from locations where the generation rate warrants the use of large containers.

Trash Trailer Systems The application of trash trailers is similar to that for tilt-frame container systems. Trash trailers are better for the collection of especially heavy rubbish, such as sand, timber, and metal scrap, and often are used for the collection of demolition wastes at construction sites

Stationary Container Systems (SCSs)

1. Systems in which mechanically loaded collection vehicles are used. 2. Systems in which manually loaded collection vehicles are used .