![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste collector</span> Person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of waste](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Eboueurs_20100508_Aix-en-Provence_1.jpg/320px-Eboueurs_20100508_Aix-en-Provence_1.jpg)
A waste collector, also known as a garbage man, garbage collector, trashman, binman or dustman, is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection sites for further processing and waste disposal. Specialised waste collection vehicles featuring an array of automated functions are often deployed to assist waste collectors in reducing collection and transport time and for protection from exposure. Waste and recycling pickup work is physically demanding and usually exposes workers to an occupational hazard.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal solid waste</span> Type of waste consisting of everyday items discarded by the public](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Mixed_municipal_waste.JPG/320px-Mixed_municipal_waste.JPG)
Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, as in a garbage disposal; the two are sometimes collected separately. In the European Union, the semantic definition is 'mixed municipal waste,' given waste code 20 03 01 in the European Waste Catalog. Although the waste may originate from a number of sources that has nothing to do with a municipality, the traditional role of municipalities in collecting and managing these kinds of waste have produced the particular etymology 'municipal.'
Pay as you throw (PAYT) is a usage-pricing model for disposing of municipal solid waste. Users are charged a rate based on how much waste they present for collection to the municipality or local authority.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste collection</span> Transfer of refuse from origin to treatment or landfill facility](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Waste_collection_vehicle-Thai.JPG/320px-Waste_collection_vehicle-Thai.JPG)
Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable materials that technically are not waste, as part of a municipal landfill diversion program.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste container</span> Container to temporarily store waste](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Waste_container_in_Japan.jpg/320px-Waste_container_in_Japan.jpg)
A waste container, also known as a dustbin, rubbish bin, trash can, and garbage can, among other names, is a type of container intended to store waste that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "rubbish", "basket" and "bin" are more common in British English usage; "trash" and "can" are more common in American English usage. "Garbage" may refer to food waste specifically or to municipal solid waste in general.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerbside collection</span> Household waste collection service](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/ACT_recycling_truck.jpg/320px-ACT_recycling_truck.jpg)
Kerbside collection or curbside collection is a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of collecting and disposing of household waste and recyclables. It is usually accomplished by personnel using specially built vehicles to pick up household waste in containers that are acceptable to, or prescribed by, the municipality and are placed on the kerb.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green waste</span> Biodegradable waste](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Air_pollution3.jpg/320px-Air_pollution3.jpg)
Green waste, also known as "biological waste", is any organic waste that can be composted. It is most usually composed of refuse from gardens such as grass clippings or leaves, and domestic or industrial kitchen wastes. Green waste does not include things such as dried leaves, pine straw, or hay. Such materials are rich in carbon and considered "brown wastes," while green wastes contain high concentrations of nitrogen. Green waste can be used to increase the efficiency of many composting operations and can be added to soil to sustain local nutrient cycling.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste sorting</span> Environmental practice of separating waste categories to make it easy to recycle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/NEA_recycling_bins%2C_Orchard_Road.JPG/320px-NEA_recycling_bins%2C_Orchard_Road.JPG)
Waste sorting is the process by which waste is separated into different elements. Waste sorting can occur manually at the household and collected through curbside collection schemes, or automatically separated in materials recovery facilities or mechanical biological treatment systems. Hand sorting was the first method used in the history of waste sorting. Waste can also be sorted in a civic amenity site.
An automated vacuum waste collection system, also known as pneumatic refuse collection, or automated vacuum collection (AVAC), transports waste at a high speed through underground pneumatic tubes to a collection station where it is compacted and sealed in containers. When the container is full, it is transported away and then emptied. The system helps facilitate the separation and recycling of waste.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green bin</span>](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Green_bin_collection_in_Dublin.jpg/320px-Green_bin_collection_in_Dublin.jpg)
A green bin is a large, movable, rigid plastic or metal container that contains biodegradable waste or compostable materials as a means to divert waste from landfills. In some local authorities, green bins are also used to contain unsorted municipal solid waste.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling in Canada</span>](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Children_collecting_rubber.jpg/320px-Children_collecting_rubber.jpg)
This article outlines the position and trends of recycling in Canada. Since the 1980s, most mid to large municipalities in most provinces have recycling programs, relying on curbside collection with either bins, boxes, or bags. These systems are not standardized, and the specific process differs for each province. Certain provinces have container-deposit systems in place for bottles, cans, and other beverage containers.
There is no national law in the United States that mandates recycling. State and local governments often introduce their own recycling requirements. In 2014, the recycling/composting rate for municipal solid waste in the U.S. was 34.6%. A number of U.S. states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont have passed laws that establish deposits or refund values on beverage containers while other jurisdictions rely on recycling goals or landfill bans of recyclable materials.
Recycling in the Netherlands is under the responsibility of local authorities. Different localities implement different systems, and also within a municipality there can be multiple regimes. Municipalities publish a yearly calendar of the pickup dates and the addresses of the waste separation and recycling stations.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling in the United Kingdom</span>](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Portsmouth_Commercial_Road_Sainsbury%27s_store_recycling_site.JPG/320px-Portsmouth_Commercial_Road_Sainsbury%27s_store_recycling_site.JPG)
In 2015, 43.5% of the United Kingdom's municipal waste was recycled, composted or broken down by anaerobic digestion. The majority of recycling undertaken in the United Kingdom is done by statutory authorities, although commercial and industrial waste is chiefly processed by private companies. Local Authorities are responsible for the collection of municipal waste and operate contracts which are usually kerbside collection schemes. The Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 required local authorities in England to provide every household with a separate collection of at least two types of recyclable materials by 2010. Recycling policy is devolved to the administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales who set their own targets, but all statistics are reported to Eurostat.
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery is a branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency that oversees the state's waste management, recycling, and waste reduction programs. CalRecycle was established in 2010 to replace the California Integrated Waste Management Board. It is known for administering the California Redemption Value (CRV) program, among other responsibilities.
Solid waste policy in the United States is aimed at developing and implementing proper mechanisms to effectively manage solid waste. For solid waste policy to be effective, inputs should come from stakeholders, including citizens, businesses, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, universities, and other research organizations. These inputs form the basis of policy frameworks that influence solid waste management decisions. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates household, industrial, manufacturing, and commercial solid and hazardous wastes under the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Effective solid waste management is a cooperative effort involving federal, state, regional, and local entities. Thus, the RCRA's Solid Waste program section D encourages the environmental departments of each state to develop comprehensive plans to manage nonhazardous industrial and municipal solid waste.
The San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance is a local municipal ordinance requiring all persons located in San Francisco to separate their recyclables, compostables and landfilled trash and to participate in recycling and composting programs. Passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2009, it became the first local municipal ordinance in the United States to universally require source separation of all organic material, including food residuals.
Resource recovery is using wastes as an input material to create valuable products as new outputs. The aim is to reduce the amount of waste generated, thereby reducing the need for landfill space, and optimising the values created from waste. Resource recovery delays the need to use raw materials in the manufacturing process. Materials found in municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste, commercial waste and industrial wastes can be used to recover resources for the manufacturing of new materials and products. Plastic, paper, aluminium, glass and metal are examples of where value can be found in waste.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling in Australia</span> Method of waste management in Australia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Canberra_recycling_truck.jpg/320px-Canberra_recycling_truck.jpg)
Recycling in Australia is a widespread, and comprehensive part of waste management in Australia, with 60% of all waste collected being recycled. Recycling is collected from households, commercial businesses, industries and construction. Despite its prominence, household recycling makes up only a small part (13%) of Australia's total recycling. It generally occurs through kerbside recycling collections such as the commingled recycling bin and food/garden organics recycling bin, drop-off and take-back programs, and various other schemes. Collection and management of household recycling typically falls to local councils, with private contractors collecting commercial, industrial and construction recycling. In addition to local council regulations, legislation and overarching policies are implemented and managed by the state and federal governments.
![<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City waste management system</span> New York Citys refuse removal system](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/SANITATION_WORKERS_COLLECT_GARBAGE_ON_172ND_STREET_IN_MANHATTAN_-_NARA_-_549844.jpg/320px-SANITATION_WORKERS_COLLECT_GARBAGE_ON_172ND_STREET_IN_MANHATTAN_-_NARA_-_549844.jpg)
New York City's waste management system is a refuse removal system primarily run by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY). The department maintains the waste collection infrastructure and hires public and private contractors who remove the city's waste. For the city's population of more than eight million, The DSNY collects approximately eleven thousand tons a day of garbage, including compostable material and recycling.