Page 261 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

15

SOLID WASTE CHARACTERIZATION

BY BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

15.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the characterization of U.S. businesses and government agen-
cies based on solid waste stream composition percentages. The purpose of character-
ization was to determine and group the business types that generate similar solid waste
materials. Figure 15.1 displays the characterization process.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes were used as the grouping basis to
describe types of business functions, as described in Chap. 14. The waste records gath-
ered from each SIC code group were consolidated and the mean and variance waste
composition percentages were calculated for each material. SIC code groups have his-
torically been used by U.S. environmental regulators to classify businesses based on
solid waste generation. The usage of SIC codes for this purpose was statistically vali-
dated and is discussed in Sec. 15.3 of this chapter. After the successful validation of
using SIC codes, multivariate cluster analysis was conducted on the SIC code group
waste composition data to reduce groups further. Twenty-two of these final clusters,
referred to as waste groups, were formed that statistically generate similar composi-
tions of solid waste. In the next chapter, these waste groups are analyzed to determine
the significant variables that influence annual solid waste quantities.

15.2 Data Consolidation and

Initial Characterization

Several preparations were completed before beginning the solid waste characterization
process and waste group determination. Specifically, the 438 waste records (companies)
collected from the national survey included 65 SIC code groups. Each waste record was
placed in 1 of 65 data matrices; with each matrix representing each of the 65 SIC code
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