Page 253 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

EXISTING DATA COLLECTION 231

■ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the local, state, and federal level
(132 companies in total).

Specific data collection methods were applied for each data source, depending on the
nature of the source.
Initially, interviews with waste-hauling company management and recycling col-
lector management were planned for this research. These data sources were not avail-
able from these companies due to confidentiality and customer protection. As a sub-
stitute, phone and personal interviews were conducted with solid waste management
districts across the United States.
In conclusion, the data collection phase of this research was successful; sufficient
data was collected to begin modeling. Several issues were identified from the collec-
tion process and the actual data. First, many government agencies collected the
required data to build the waste evaluation models, but did not use it for that purpose.
These government agencies could achieve significant improvements in the reliability
of the studies they conduct if they worked together and shared information. A com-
mon database would aid in storing and disseminating such information. Also identi-
fied from the government agencies were a wide variety of data collection methods and
analysis techniques to accomplish the same goals. A common goal was to estimate the
annual generation amounts for a specific region of the United States. Nonstandardized
methods were used to collect the data and nonscientific analyses techniques were used
to estimate these aggregate totals. This creates comparison discrepancies when differ-
ent analysis techniques are used. A standardized approach to estimate generation
amounts coupled with government agencies sharing information would reduce this
problem. The model developed for this research applied a scientific, standardized
approach to estimate and predict solid waste generation rates and will also aid in
reducing this problem.

14.5.1 THE WASTE MINIMIZATION RESEARCH PROJECT
(LUCAS COUNTY, OHIO)

Significant research was conducted at the University of Toledo regarding solid waste
estimation. This research provided valuable insights into the nature of solid waste gen-
eration of individual companies. From 1996 through August of 2002 the
Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing Lab (ECDML) located at the
University of Toledo, College of Engineering has conducted 24 solid waste assess-
ments for manufacturing and service companies in Lucas County, Ohio. The largest
research project at the ECDML was the Waste Minimization Research Project, which
provides no-cost solid waste assessments to businesses operating in Lucas County.
The purpose of the waste assessments was to quantify waste streams by annual weight
and composition and to provide economical solutions to reduce, reuse, or recycle com-
ponents of the waste stream. The companies surveyed included a broad range from
manufacturing to hospitals. This section discusses the methodology utilized to conduct
the waste assessments, the benefits and drawbacks of this data for this research, and a
brief overview of the data. The ECDML solid waste assessment data was used as the