Page 242 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

220 DATA COLLECTION

Specific solid waste material types that were investigated are

■ Aerosol cans
■ Aluminum (cans, scrap, sheet, other)
■ Batteries (lead acid and household)
■ Biomedical (hazardous)
■ Concrete and cement
■ Composite construction and demolition debris (concrete, wood, etc.)
■ Fabric
■ Food waste
■ Glass (bottles and scrap)
■ Lamps and ballasts
■ Metal scrap (ferrous and nonferrous)
■ Nonhazardous chemicals
■ Old corrugated containers (cardboard)
■ Paint
■ Paper (newspaper, white ledger, mixed office paper, etc.)
■ Plastics (No. 1, PETE; No. 2, HDPE; No. 3, PVC; No. 4, LDPE; No. 5, PP; No. 6, PS;
No. 7, Other)
■ Rubber
■ Sludge
■ Stone, clay, or sand
■ Used oil
■ Wood

The independent variables hypothesized to predict the annual solid waste genera-
tion of U.S. businesses and government agencies is displayed in the following list.
A brief note on the reason each potential independent variable was selected is pro-
vided in the list.

■ Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code—Collected to classify each business
process and aid in the prediction of waste stream composition (a complete list can
be found in Sec. 14.2.1 of this chapter).
■ Brief description of the business—Collected to supplement SIC code and classify
businesses based on processes, this information was also useful to determine SIC
codes not supplied or identify incorrect SIC codes.
■ Number of employees at the facility—Collected to predict the poundage of solid
waste streams generated.
■ Working days at the facility per year—Collected to predict the poundage of solid
waste streams generated.
■ Overall recycling percentage for the facility—Collected to examine the effects
for waste reduction on overall waste reduction (derived from reported data).
■ Landfill disposal cost per ton—Collected to predict the poundage of solid waste
streams generated (in terms of dollars per ton to dispose).