Us Waste Management

Waste management is the handling of waste materials. It is most commonly used by organizations to refer to the handling of solid waste materials. Solid waste materials ( trash, garbage, etc.) are stored in waste containers until collected by a waste collecting vehicle. According to the US Census Bureau, as of 2014, there were just over 37.2 million US households. This means there were roughly 1.4 billion US citizens in 2014.

Waste management is a huge industry that has to be taken care of by professionals. If you like helping people and have problem-solving skills, you can take up this career and offer a variety of services like waste collection and disposal, recycling, landfilling etc. This industry is worth over $100 billion, and is growing rapidly. If you like to travel, you can try collection in US, and spend rest of the year in other countries.

Types of Waste Management Methods in the US

There are three types of waste management methods in the US namely, primary waste management, secondary waste management and tertiary waste management. Primary waste management is the process of waste collection that involves the collection of the solid waste, disposal and the recycling. This helps in reducing the amount of solid waste and also the cost of waste disposal. Solid waste management is the second waste management method. This method is more complex than the primary waste management method. In this waste management method, wastes are segregated into inert and organic solid wastes and then different methods are used for disposal such as landfill, incineration, composting etc. Tertiary waste management method also known as waste to energy method. In this method, waste is collected, segregated, processed and then used to generate energy. In this method, only waste materials are used for energy generation and no other natural resources are used. This method is environment-friendly, which is the most important feature of this method.

How Is Waste Management Done?

Waste management is the disposal of solid and liquid wastes and is the environmental science discipline related to such activities. It has been defined as the “art and science of waste disposal”. A modern practice of waste management is geared towards minimizing the amount of waste generated and routes it takes to disposal. Waste management is broadly categorized into: general waste management, hazardous waste management and electronic waste management.  There are major activities that are carried out in a typical waste management process. These include waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal. Waste collection is the accumulation of wastes in a single place to allow for collection by a waste collection vehicle. The process of transporting waste to its treatment or disposal site or an intermediate holding area is called waste transport. Treating or processing solid waste is generally carried out in a waste treatment facility. Activities that are performed at this step include sorting, separation, concentration, storage and destruction.

Importance Of Waste Management In Us

The importance of waste management in US is quite vital. A lot of waste is generated from industrial places, homes and offices. Proper waste management is required to sustain the environment and to keep it clean. Various waste management companies are available in this country to manage the waste in an appropriate manner. The majority of the population in US believes of having well-maintained environment and thus, attempts to dispose the waste in an appropriate manner. Let us have a look at the various ways on how waste is handled in US.