Every year the average American throws out more and more garbage. In the next five years, it is projected to increase 20-25 percent. This garbage, termed solid waste, is stored, collected, hauled and disposed of in some manner. The objective of this report has been to evaluate the City of Kissimmee's one-man residential solid waste collection system. The study results indicated this generation rate of the City to be 3.28 pounds per person per day, or 29.1 pounds per home per pickup. The productivity equations developed from the City data did not compare well with the results of EPA. Also indicated in this report is the effect of the percent pickup factor in a solid waste collection system and its effect on system productivity.

A study was made of the feasibility of implementing a system of Resource Recovery from the solid wastes of an urban county in Georgia. A review was made of the existing solid waste management practices and present generation rates. A projection of future waste quantities and composition was made. A review of the present state of the art of recovering resources from solid waste was made to determine what systems could be developed for the County. An analysis of the estimated costs during a test year for three alternative systems for disposal was made to determine a least cost alternative. In that no markets for a refuse derived fuel exist in the County and all costs which may be applicable to the landfill alternative cannot be defined in terms of current costs, the cost of Resource Recovery exceeds the costs of conventional landfilling. Recommendations are for the County to develop markets and make provisions for future development of a system to recover resources from their wastes. In the meantime they should pursue their present plan of disposing of their wastes in a Sanitary Landfill.

Disposal of municipal solid waste has become a tremendous problem in the United States. To reduce the volume of garbage that requires deposition in landfills, innovative methods of recycling need to be investigated. Several experiments were conducted in Blacksburg, Virginia, to evaluate the use of heavy fraction, a by-product of a solid waste separation process, as a soil amendment for production of turfgrass sod. In a field plot experiment using Kentucky bluegrass (<i>Poa pratensis L</i>.), measurements of sod strength taken 8.5 and 9.5 months after seeding were greater for sod grown in topsoil amended with heavy fraction than for turf grown in topsoil only. These results imply that the use of this by-product for turfgrass production may reduce the time required to produce a harvestable sod. In a container study, physical properties of a loam topsoil were altered 16 months after addition of heavy fraction. Bulk density and particle density were reduced and organic matter content increased by soil incorporation of this by-product. Total porosity and air porosity (macropore space) of the topsoil increased whereas water porosity (micropore space) decreased with increasing amount of applied heavy fraction. Soil fertility was enhanced and soil pH raised by addition of heavy fraction. Concentrations of extractable NH₄ -N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Zn in soil were increased by the application of heavy fraction, as were concentrations of K, Ca, S, Mg, and Mn in leachate collected in lysimeter studies. Improved fertility resulted in greater aesthetic quality, clipping yields, and tissue N content for tall fescue (<i>Festuca arundinacea</i> Schreb.). Lysimeter studies indicated that the greatest environmental concern associated with the use of heavy fraction for turfgrass production appears to be the potential for leaching of N0₃-N during turf establishment. With loading rates of 414,747 kg ha⁻¹ or lower, however, the amount of N0₃-N leached from heavy fraction-amended topsoil was no greater than that leached from topsoil containing no heavy fraction. Concentrations of N0₃-N in leachate for all loading rates of heavy fraction decreased to levels well below 10.0 mg L ⁻¹ approximately two months after sodding the lysimeters with tall fescue. Leachate analyses indicated minimum potential for P or heavy metal contamination of groundwater from heavy fraction. / Ph. D.

This paper is a report on a study of the management of solid wastes at Florida Technological University (FTU). This study endeavors to provide a basis for effective planning for disposal of FTU's solid wastes, both in the next few years and at the time of maximum FTU population. Essentially, the study affirms that the present system of refuse collection by a private contractor is the best method of disposal, with the possibility that recycling of mixed paper may become feasible at some future time.

Fifteen curbside recycling programs in the United States, from communities representing a variety of economic, geographic and political situations, were reviewed in this study. Case studies were analyzed and discussed with respect to four areas of interest to program planners: administration, operations, promotion and evaluation. No objective rating of the programs was attempted, but approaches were reviewed with respect to their ability to satisfy the goals of the programs. Comparisons of participation rates, waste diversion rates, and costs were used cautiously because of the inconsistencies in how the data were developed from program to program. Administrative approaches found in the case studies included: (a) complete ownership of the collection and processing system by municipalities; (b) contracted service by private waste management firms; (c) contracted or subsidized service by non-profit organizations; and (d) combinations of municipal, private, and non-profit services. Operational systems were examined with respect to the effectiveness of the service in stimulating participation, given the practical, political, and budgetary constraints. Variables of operation are closely related and include: (a) which materials are collected; (b) the degree of materials separation required; (c) the type of collection vehicle(s) used; (d) collection frequency and coincidence with garbage collection; (e) the provision of in home containers; and (t) the extent of post-collection materials processing. Four categories of promotional techniques used in curbside recycling programs were discussed: (a) publicity and education; (b) personal contact; (c) economic incentives; and (d) ordinances mandating source-separation. The impacts of these techniques on participation in the case study programs were discussed. Techniques for evaluating the efficacy of curbside recycling programs were also discussed. Participation rates, waste diversion rates, and cost were reviewed with respect to current usage and recommendations were made for increasing their usefulness as indicators of the success of programs or program elements. / Master of Science

Many civic groups and local governments are involved in campaigns to safely collect and dispose of "household hazardous waste." Although it is difficult to define, household hazardous waste is generally considered to be any chemical waste generated in a family dwelling which, if disposed of improperly, may be harmful to human health or the environment. Growing concerns are centered around the disposal of these potentially toxic wastes by burying them in landfills or pouring them down drains or storm sewers. The most popular method of addressing the problem of household hazardous waste is that of holding "collection days," at which householders are encouraged to bring their hazardous waste to some central location for proper handling by responsible authorities. Although the availability of information about the total costs of holding these collections days is presently limited, it is apparent that the expense per household served is quite high. Some people have questioned whether the expense is justified, since there has been little documentation of the risks associated with the handling of household hazardous waste in the municipal waste stream. This thesis presents the findings to date of a study examining the quantities of household hazardous waste present in the municipal waste stream (in order to assess the risks associated with their disposal) and the costs associated with collection days. A telephone survey was used to develop a preliminary estimate of the nature and quantity of hazardous waste generated by households in a Virginia city. Cost data from collection days held in Virginia and elsewhere in the United States are documented and discussed. / Master of Science

This paper analyzes the role of both cooperative and oppositional modes of citizen participation in public decision making related to waste facility siting. Politicians, bureaucrats, and waste industry representatives embrace participatory planning as an equitable and efficient solution to the waste siting dilemma. Ideally, citizen involvement in waste planning would foster solutions both environmentally and economically satisfactory to all stakeholders. To date, however, no clear consensus exists over the instrumental objectives of participatory planning. Participatory planning encompasses a wide spectrum of activities ranging from coalition-building to grassroots development. The broad use of the term “participation” complicates efforts to distinguish between those planning activities which are co-optive and those which are participatory. Guided by two critical questions (‘who’ and ‘why’), the first section of this paper proposes a ‘people centered’ conceptual framework for defining the instrumental goals of participation and for differentiating between co-optive and participatory planning. In the second and third sections, I present a comparative case study of the two predominant modes of participation (cooperative oppositional) currently operating in the United State’s waste facility siting crisis. I use a ‘people centered’ conceptual framework to show that the current cooperative participatory approaches to waste facility siting serve more to facilitate citizen co-optation than participation. I further demonstrate that the grassroots oppositional movement against waste facility siting represents successful participation on the part of the citizens in the face of co-optive attempts on the part of the state and the waste industry. / Master of Urban Affairs

The 1972 amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act provide for major changes to reduce and eventually eliminate water pollution by 1985. In contrast, projections indicate that the volume of wastes generated by population and economic growth in the near future will be very large and the cost of treating it by standard methods will be extremely high. Hence, all possible systems and methods of waste disposal must be considered and ways of reducing the amount of waste discharges sought. In attempting to reach the goal of zero waste discharges, one alternative which must be considered in certain situations is the employment of deep well waste disposal (DWWD). This method accomplishes long term isolation of highly toxic liquid industrial wastes in confined subsurface geologic strata. This study undertakes a preliminary investigation of the potential of DWWD as a waste management tool. The analysis is conducted from an economic standpoint with the relevant economic concepts and issues being identified and examined as they apply to both users and regulators of the method as well as the general public. The direct cost for the system and its operation was discussed with particular attention paid to its derivation. Numerous site specific variables prevent generalizations concerning the cost of DWWD relative to surface treatment methods. On occasions, however, the method appears to have a greater initial capital outlay requirement but a much less operating and maintenance cost than alternative forms of wastewater management achieving the same effect. The social costs and benefits of deep well waste disposal were viewed in detail. Suggestions were made as how society might compensate the firm for the creation of social benefits in excess of social costs, and how they may be internalized into the firm's decision making process. Finally, the industrial potential for employing DWWD in the study area, designated as the Mid and South Atlantic states, is derived and discussed. / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning