IEEE Electrification - September 2019 - 34

Waste can be divided into different categories (i.e., residential,
254.1
industrial, hazardous, and non253.7 250.6
243.5
hazardous). Different approaches
250
8
217.3
are required for each category
208.3
considering the health and safety
200
of the population and the munici166.3
6
151.6
pal staff. Usually, the municipal
150
121.1 127.8
authority deploys a fleet of trucks
104.4
4.57 4.52 4.74 4.69 4.44 4.4 4
on predetermined routes to col88.1
100
3.66 3.83
lect waste from dumpsters. The
3.25 3.25
amount of waste in each dump2.68 2.96
2
50
ster is unknown until the truck
reaches it. This typical collection
0
0
scenario leads to inefficient use
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2013
of resources, because the truck
Year
may travel to and then process
Total MSW Generation
Per Capita Generation
dumpsters that are empty or
nearly empty, causing an unnecFigure 1. MSW generation. (Source: Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2015 Facts
essary expenditure of time and
and Figures (2018), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; used with permission.)
fuel. There may be more trucks
than necessary on the road, causing unwanted congestion and delays.
10

Total MSW Generation (Million Tons)

Per Capita Generation (lbs/Person/Day)

300

500

400
300

401

416

78%

80%

83%

500

Solid Waste Recycling

486

Recycling is concerned with the discovery, retrieval,
processing, and reuse of materials from wastes. Recyclate is the raw material that is sent to and processed
in a waste recycling plant or materials recovery facility (MRF) for reconditioning or forming new raw material/finished products. Solid waste recycling refers to the
reuse of manufactured goods from which material
(i.e., steel, copper, tin, glass, paper, or plastics) can be
recovered and reused. Many developed countries, such
as Sweden, recycle nearly 100% of their household
waste and turn it into energy. Sweden even imports
waste from neighboring countries to recycle and fuel
power plants. Recycling waste offers numerous benefits compared to the conventional waste disposal
approach. It prevents the waste of potentially useful
materials (e.g., by harvesting gold, copper, and electronic components from the electronic waste),
decreases the acquisition of fresh raw materials (e.g.,
from cutting trees to make paper), reduces incineration (i.e., the burning of disposed material that causes
air pollution), reduces the amount of disposed waste
in landfills that causes air/water pollution, and generates energy in the form of electricity or heat through
the combustion of organic waste or the processing of
waste into a fuel source.
Materials to be recycled are searched, picked up from
different waste bins across the city, brought to a collection center, and then separated, sorted, cleaned, and processed for eventual (re)use. Different methods have been
implemented and used to collect recyclates from general
waste disposal sites. These include the following.

97%

Collection

r.-

ar
-M
n.

ec
D

ep
Ju

4
.1

14
t.

ne
Ju
r.-

Generation

4
.1
ar
Ap

-M
n.
Ja

389

57%

48%

-S

100

500

284

239

200

500

600

Percentage

Figure 2. The MSW transportation in Lahore, Pakistan. (Source:
Lahore Waste Management Company.)

produces an average of 4.4 lb of waste per day, leading
to a total of 254 million tons in 2013 (see Figure 1). Less
than a quarter of the waste produced was recycled.
Global annual solid waste production is more than 4 billion tons per year. The percentages of municipal solid
waste (MSW) generated in the United States include
paper and paperboard: 38.1%; yard waste: 12.1%; metals: 7.8%; glass: 5.5%; rubber, textiles, leather, and
wood: 11.9%; food wastes: 10.9%; plastics: 10.5%; and
other: 3.2%. In Pakistan, an estimated daily production
of solid waste ranges from 500 to 700 tons in the major
cities (i.e., Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad). For example, Figure 2 shows the waste generation and collection
in Lahore.

I E E E E l e c t r i f i cati o n M agaz ine / SEPTEMBER 2019

IEEE Electrification - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification - September 2019