Recycling Terms
Italicized words are also vocabulary words on this list.
Ash - The solid residue that remains after a fuel or solid waste has been burned.
Biodegradable - Waste material which is capable of being broken down, usually by bacteria, into basic elements. Most organic wastes, such as food and paper, are biodegradable.
Cell - A volume of solid waste, compacted and covered at a landfill.
Composting - A waste management strategy whereby wastes are decomposed by microorganisms in the presence of oxygen. Waste materials are transformed into soil amendments such as humus or mulch. Compostable materials include garbage and yard waste.
Conservation - The planned management of natural resource to prevent exploitation or destruction.
Containers - cans, glass and plastic including, but not limited to, aluminum beverage cans, steel, tin and bimetal food cans, foil wrap and trays, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles for liquids such as milk, soda, detergent and water.
Contaminant - A material that is harmful to, or creates inefficiencies in, the recycling process when included with a recyclable material.
Decompose - To decay or rot as a result of microbial and fungal action.
Energy - Ability to do work by moving matter or by causing a transfer of heat between two objects at different temperatures.
Environment - The sum total of conditions, physical and biological, in which organisms live.
Fiber - paper type material including, but not limited to cardboard, newspaper, junk mail, office paper, magazines, catalogs, corrugated boxes, cereal/paperboard boxes, etc.
Fly Ash - Small, solid particles of ash and soot generated when coal, oil, or waste materials are burned.
Garbage - Refuse or solid waste consisting of food wastes; animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, storage, sale, preparation, cooking and serving of foods.
Generation Rate - Total tons of solid waste collected, prior to recovery or disposal, within a specific time period, divided by the total population.
Hazardous - Materials that pose a significant threat to human health and/or the environment.
House Bill 592 (HB592) - Ohio's major piece of legislation concerning solid waste management. A comprehensive revision of Ohio's 1967 Solid Waste Law.
Humus - A dark substance resulting from the partial decomposition of plant and/or animal matter.
Illegal Dumping - Disposing of waste in an improper manner and/or location; in violation of waste disposal laws. In Lucas County, residents can report illegal dumpers by calling 419-255-STOP (7867).
Leachate - Liquid that has percolated through solid waste. At a landfill, it includes decomposed waste, bacteria, and potentially harmful materials.
Litter - Highly visible solid waste generated by consumers and businesses that is carelessly and improperly discarded.
LULU - Acronym for "Locally unwanted land use". For example, jails, airports, and landfills.
Material Recovery Facility (MRF) - Facility for separating and compacting solid waste materials for recycling and other uses.
Methane - An odorless, colorless, flammable, and explosive gas emitted from sanitary landfills that can be captured for use as a fuel.
MSW - The acronym for "Municipal Solid Waste". Includes nonhazardous waste generated in households, commercial establishments, institutions, and light industrial wastes. Excludes hazardous wastes, industrial process wastes, agricultural wastes, mining wastes, and sewage sludge.
NIMBY - An acronym for "Not In My Back Yard". An expression of residential opposition to the siting of a solid waste facilty near them.
Photodegradable - The process whereby the sun's ultraviolet radiation attacks the link in the polymer chain of plastic. The material is flexed, stretched, and disintegrated into dust.
Recovery Rate - All discarded materials that have been recovered through recycling, composting, or waste-to-energy plants, divided by the total tonnage of MSW generated.
Recycling - A resource recovery method involving the collection and treatment of a waste product for use as a raw material in the manufacture of the same or another product. An example would be manufacturing new glass from recovered glass.
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Curbside Recycling: a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of removing household waste. It is usually accomplished by personnel using purpose built vehicles to pick up household waste in containers acceptable to or prescribed by the municipality.
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Drop-off Recycling: a service provided to residents within a given community whereby the individual from a household physically transports recyclable material to a location provided. Types of material accepted varies, however the household is ultimately responsible for getting materials to the location after which a service provider is then responsible for processing the collected material.
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Dual Stream Recycling: A system in which paper fibers and containers are collected separately in a collection truck. Recyclables are sorted by the resident and handled separately throughout the collection process. In a dual stream system, both the collection and processing systems must be designed to handle this fully commingled mixture of recyclables.
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Single Stream Recycling: a system in which all paper fibers and containers are mixed together in a collection truck, instead of being sorted into separate commodities (newspaper, cardboard, plastic, glass, etc.) by the resident and handled separately throughout the collection process. In single stream, both the collection and processing systems must be designed to handle this fully mixture of recyclables.
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Municipal vs Private Collection: a governmental entity may provide service to residents by using municipal employees and equipment or the governmental entity may contract for services with a private company to collect materials from residents using employees and equipment from the selected vendor. If a resident is responsible for handling the waste from their own household they may subscribe to a private hauler for services. This method is commonly called Subscription Service.
Reduce - To decrease the amount of waste generated at each step of product development or use.
Resource - A material that can be used to make something. For example, wood resources are made into paper products.
Reuse - Using a product more than once in its same form.
Sanitary Landfill - A method of disposing of refuse on land without creating nuisances or hazards to public health or safety. Waste is spread in layers, compacted and covered with a layer of soil daily. The Hoffman Road landfill is a local example.
Scrap - Waste material which is usually segregated and suitable for recovery or reclamation.
Sludge - A semi-liquid residue remaining from the treatment of municipal and industrial water and wastewater.
Soil - The top layer of the earth's surface, suitable for the growth of plant life.
Solid Waste - Garbage, refuse, sludge, and other discarded soild materials and residues, including those from residential, industrial, commercial, and agricultural operations.
Solid Waste Management - The administration of activities which provide for the collection, source separation, storage, transportation, processing, treatment, and disposal of solid waste.
Trash - Waste material considered worthless, unnecessary, or offensive that does not incluce food waste and ashes, but may include other organic materials such as yard waste.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) - The federal agency, created in 1970, charged with the enforcement of all federal regulations having to do with air and water pollution, radiation and pesticide hazards, ecological research, and solid waste disposal. There are also state and regional offices located across the country. The nearest office to Toledo is located in Bowling Green.
Waste - Anything that is discarded, useless, or unwanted.
Waste Stream - The total waste produced by a community or society, as it moves from origin to disposal. Includes MSW and industrial wastes.
Waste-to-Energy (WTE) - Disposal method where MSW is burned to generate steam or electricity and reduce the volume of waste to be discarded.
Yard Waste - Leaves, grass clippings, prunings, and other natural organic matter discarded from yards and gardens. This material can be composted into humus or mulch.
PlasticCodeSystem.pdf
