Waste sorting

Last updated
Recycling bins in Singapore NEA recycling bins, Orchard Road.JPG
Recycling bins in Singapore
Manual waste sorting for recycling TriagemDeLixo.jpg
Manual waste sorting for recycling
Emptying of segregated rubbish containers in Polish medium-sized city Tomaszow Mazowiecki Wywoz segregowanych smieci w 60-tysiecznym Tomaszowiem Mazowieckim, w wojewodztwie lodzkim, poczatek grudnia 2018 roku.jpg
Emptying of segregated rubbish containers in Polish medium-sized city Tomaszów Mazowiecki

Waste sorting is the process by which waste is separated into different elements. [1] 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. [2] Until now this method is still used.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Waste can also be sorted in a civic amenity site.

Waste segregation is the division of waste into dry and wet. Dry waste includes wood and related products, metals and glass. Wet waste typically refers to organic waste usually generated by eating establishments and are heavy in weight due to dampness. With segregation, each form of waste goes into its category at the point of dumping or collection, but sorting happens after dumping or collection. Segregation of waste ensures pure, quality material. Sorting on the other hand will end up producing impure materials with less quality.

These days, automatic waste segregators are gaining popularity and are already being used in many parts of the world like Australia.

Methods

Recycling point at the Gdansk University of Technology Recycling point Gdansk University of Technology.jpg
Recycling point at the Gdańsk University of Technology

Waste is collected at its source in each area and separated. The way that waste is sorted must reflect local disposal systems. The following categories are common: [3]

Organic waste can also be segregated for disposal:

Mechanisms for automated sorting

Automation of municipal solid waste sorting process is an active research area. [4] Notable mechanisms for automated sorting include:

By country

Characteristic containers for recycling in Portovenere, Italy Waste sorting in Porto Venere.jpg
Characteristic containers for recycling in Portovenere, Italy
Garbage containers in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan Garbage containers at fuchu city.jpg
Garbage containers in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan

In Germany, regulations exist that provide mandatory quotas for the waste sorting of packaging waste and recyclable materials such as glass bottles. [20]

In Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, a pilot project using an automated collecting machine of plastic bottles or aluminium cans with voucher reward has been implemented in a market. [21]

In India, the government inaugurated the Swachh Bharat Mission ("Clean India Mission") in 2014, a nationwide cleanup effort. Before this national consolidated effort for systematic and total waste management came into common consciousness, many cities and towns in India had already launched individual efforts directed at municipal waste collection of segregated waste, either based on citizen activism and/or municipal efforts to set up sustainable systems. [22]

In Ukraine, people are learning to sort garbage. Garbage is sorted in schools and kindergartens in Khmelnitsky. [23] [24]

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that the infrastructure for recycling waste has not kept pace with the rate of waste production. [25]

In Australia, Smart Bins have been introduced as a solution for waste management issues that the country faces. The AI-powered smart bin is equipped to segregate recyclables all by itself. Experts also claim that a smart bin like this may also increase waste-recovery rates in the country and help produce better quality recyclable products that will add to Australia's GDP.

Globally

In terms of plastic waste sorting and recycling, an estimated 9% of the estimated 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste from the 1950s up to 2018 has been recycled and another 12% has been incinerated with the rest reportedly being "dumped in landfills or the natural environment". [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling</span> Converting waste materials into new products

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the properties it had in its original state. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. It can also prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reducing energy use, air pollution and water pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste management</span> Activities and actions required to manage waste from its source to its final disposal

Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, and economic mechanisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garbage truck</span> Vehicle designed to transport municipal solid waste

A garbage truck is a truck specially designed to collect municipal solid waste and transport it to a solid waste treatment facility, such as a landfill, recycling center or transfer station. In Australia they are commonly called rubbish trucks, or garbage trucks, while in the U.K. dustbin lorry, rubbish lorry or bin lorry is commonly used. Other common names for this type of truck include trash truck in the United States, and refuse truck, dustcart, junk truck, bin wagon or bin van elsewhere. Technical names include waste collection vehicle and refuse collection vehicle (RCV). These trucks are a common sight in most urban areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Materials recovery facility</span> Plant to process recyclates

A materials recovery facility, materials reclamation facility, materials recycling facility or multi re-use facility is a specialized plant that receives, separates and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers. Generally, there are two different types: clean and dirty materials recovery facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic recycling</span> Processes which convert waste plastic into new items

Plastic recycling is the processing of plastic waste into other products. Recycling can reduce dependence on landfill, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling rates lag those of other recoverable materials, such as aluminium, glass and paper. Through 2015, the world produced some 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste, only 9% of which has been recycled, and only ~1% has been recycled more than once. Additionally, 12% was incinerated and the remaining 79% sent to landfill or to the environment including the ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal solid waste</span> Type of waste consisting of everyday items discarded by the public

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.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyperspectral imaging</span> Multi-wavelength imaging method

Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum. The goal of hyperspectral imaging is to obtain the spectrum for each pixel in the image of a scene, with the purpose of finding objects, identifying materials, or detecting processes. There are three general types of spectral imagers. There are push broom scanners and the related whisk broom scanners, which read images over time, band sequential scanners, which acquire images of an area at different wavelengths, and snapshot hyperspectral imagers, which uses a staring array to generate an image in an instant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste container</span> Container to temporarily store waste

A waste container, also known as a dustbin, garbage can, and trash can, is a type of container 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.

A mechanical biological treatment (MBT) system is a type of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion. MBT plants are designed to process mixed household waste as well as commercial and industrial wastes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerbside collection</span>

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.

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. Municipalities all over the country publish a calendar, on a yearly basis, of the pickup dates and the addresses of the waste separation and recycling stations.

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">Plastic pollution</span> Accumulation of plastic in natural ecosystems

Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized by size into micro-, meso-, or macro debris. Plastics are inexpensive and durable, making them very adaptable for different uses; as a result, manufacturers choose to use plastic over other materials. However, the chemical structure of most plastics renders them resistant to many natural processes of degradation and as a result they are slow to degrade. Together, these two factors allow large volumes of plastic to enter the environment as mismanaged waste which persists in the ecosystem and travels throughout food webs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling in Australia</span> Method of waste management in Australia

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.

China's waste import ban, instated at the end of 2017, prevented foreign inflows of waste products. Starting in early 2018, the government of China, under Operation National Sword, banned the import of several types of waste, including plastics. The ban has greatly affected recycling industries worldwide, as China had been the world's largest importer of waste plastics and processed hard-to-recycle plastics for other countries, especially in the West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste management in South Korea</span>

Waste management in South Korea involves waste generation reduction and ensuring maximum recycling of the waste. This includes the appropriate treatment, transport, and disposal of the collected waste. South Korea's Waste Management Law was established in 1986, replacing the Environmental Protection Law (1963) and the Filth and Cleaning Law (1973). This new law aimed to reduce general waste under the waste hierarchy in South Korea. This Waste Management Law imposed a volume-based waste fee system, effective for waste produced by both household and industrial activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling in South Korea</span>

South Korean waste disposal policy operates under the Ministry of Environment. Waste is required to be separated into four parts: landfill waste, organic waste, recyclable waste, and large waste items. Recyclable waste such as: paper, plastics and glass, should be separated before disposal. Fines are applicable to violations of the policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City waste management system</span> New York Citys refuse removal system

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.

References

  1. Garbage sorting plan | Shanghai Daily
  2. Aluminum Recycling, Second Edition - Mark E. Schlesinger. pp. 75-76.
  3. Martin F.Lemann: Waste Management, 2008, p. 80, ISBN   9783039115143, Peter Lang
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gundupalli, Sathish Paulraj; Hait, Subrata; Thakur, Atul (1 February 2017). "A review on automated sorting of source-separated municipal solid waste for recycling". Waste Management. 60: 56–74. Bibcode:2017WaMan..60...56G. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2016.09.015. ISSN   0956-053X. PMID   27663707.
  5. Qureshi, Muhammad Saad; Oasmaa, Anja; Pihkola, Hanna; Deviatkin, Ivan; Tenhunen, Anna; Mannila, Juha; Minkkinen, Hannu; Pohjakallio, Maija; Laine-Ylijoki, Jutta (1 November 2020). "Pyrolysis of plastic waste: Opportunities and challenges". Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 152: 104804. doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2020.104804. ISSN   0165-2370. S2CID   200068035.
  6. Zorpas, Antonis A. (1 April 2016). "Sustainable waste management through end-of-waste criteria development". Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 23 (8): 7376–7389. doi:10.1007/s11356-015-5990-5. ISSN   1614-7499. PMID   26690583. S2CID   36643191.
  7. Ulrich, Viola (6 November 2019). "Plastikmüll und Recycling: Acht Mythen und Irrtümer". DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. Brooks, Amy L.; Wang, Shunli; Jambeck, Jenna R. (June 2018). "The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade". Science Advances. 4 (6): eaat0131. Bibcode:2018SciA....4..131B. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aat0131. PMC   6010324 . PMID   29938223.
  9. "Turkey to ban plastic waste imports". The Guardian. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  10. Lee, Yen Nee (25 January 2019). "Malaysia, following in China's footsteps, bans imports of plastic waste". CNBC. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  11. "Cambodia probes Chinese firm over illegal waste imports". Reuters. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  12. "Thailand to ban imports of high-tech trash, plastic waste". Reuters. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. Green, Adam (1 July 2020). "Recyclers turn to AI robots after waste import bans". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  14. "'Waste colonialism': world grapples with west's unwanted plastic". The Guardian. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  15. "Breakthrough in separating plastic waste: Machines can now distinguish 12 different types of plastic". Aarhus University. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  16. Henriksen, Martin L.; Karlsen, Celine B.; Klarskov, Pernille; Hinge, Mogens (1 January 2022). "Plastic classification via in-line hyperspectral camera analysis and unsupervised machine learning". Vibrational Spectroscopy. 118: 103329. doi: 10.1016/j.vibspec.2021.103329 . ISSN   0924-2031. S2CID   244913832.
  17. Karaca, Ali Can; Erturk, Alp; Gullu, M. Kemal; Elmas, M.; Erturk, Sarp (June 2013). "Automatic waste sorting using shortwave infrared hyperspectral imaging system". 2013 5th Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS). pp. 1–4. doi:10.1109/WHISPERS.2013.8080744. ISBN   978-1-5090-1119-3. S2CID   37092593.
  18. "Optical sorting technology for textile waste – Development of an identification method with NIR spectroscopy" (PDF). 2017.
  19. Zhu, Shichao; Chen, Honghui; Wang, Mengmeng; Guo, Xuemei; Lei, Yu; Jin, Gang (1 April 2019). "Plastic solid waste identification system based on near infrared spectroscopy in combination with support vector machine". Advanced Industrial and Engineering Polymer Research. 2 (2): 77–81. doi: 10.1016/j.aiepr.2019.04.001 . ISSN   2542-5048. S2CID   146666866.
  20. Germany, Garbage and the Green Dot: Challenging a Throwaway Society - Bette K. Fishbein. pp. 16-17.
  21. "Satu-satunya di Indonesia, Mesin Sampah Keluarkan Voucher ada di Denpasar". July 31, 2015.
  22. Reddy, Dhana Raju (2021). "Waste Management in India – An Overview" (PDF). United International Journal for Research & Technology (UIJRT). 02 (7): 175–196. ISSN   2582-6832.
  23. "Хмельничан навчатимуть, як сортувати вдома сміття". khmelnytskyi.name (in Ukrainian). 24 November 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  24. Ecobin
  25. OLEM (2019-04-17). "The U.S. Recycling System". US EPA. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  26. News, WION (September 13, 2022). "Australia introduces smart bins as a solution for waste management | Latest News | WION". Youtube.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)