What is municipal solid waste?
Municipal solid waste (MSW), also called trash, garbage, refuse and rubbish, is the stuff we throw away everyday. In our trash are everyday items such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspaper, appliances, and batteries that we don’t need any more. MSW is generated by people and by businesses. Not counted as MSW are other discarded materials such as construction and demolition debris, municipal wastewater treatment sludge, and non-hazardous industrial wastes. Although these materials often end up in MSW landfills, they can also be sent to non-MSW landfills for disposal.
