RECYCLING JARGON

RECYCLING JARGON
From various sources including MW, http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/Wasteguide/mn_jargon.html, and Wiki

ACCUMULATORS Large rechargeable electric cells.

ACTIVE WASTES Wastes that undergo significant physical, chemical or biological transformations when deposited in a
waste landfill.

AERATED STATIC PILE (ASP) COMPOSTING (WIKI), refers to any of a number of systems used to biodegrade
organic material without physical manipulation during primary composting. The blended admixture is usually placed on
perforated piping, providing air circulation for controlled aeration . It may be in windrows, open or covered, or in closed
containers. With regard to complexity and cost, aerated systems are most commonly used by larger, professionally
managed composting facilities, although the technique may range from very small, simple systems to very large, capital
intensive, industrial installations.[1]

Aerated static piles offer process control for rapid biodegradation, and work well for facilities processing wet materials
and large volumes of feedstocks. ASP facilities can be under roof or outdoor windrow composting operations, or totally
enclosed in-vessel composting, sometimes referred to tunnel composting.[2]

AEROBIC Relating to or requiring free oxygen.

AEROBIC PROCESS A process that depends on micro-organisms which require free oxygen or air for their
metabolism.

AGGREGATE Normally loose sand or stone material, often used to make cement or in construction in general (such as
road resurfacing). Primary or virgin aggregate is newly extracted material. Secondary aggregate is material that has been
used previously and recycled or recovered.

ALLOYING Mixing two or more metals together.

ANAEROBIC Living or taking place in the absence of free oxygen.

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION The biological breakdown of organic material in the absence of oxygen.

ANAEROBIC PROCESS/DIGESTION A process that depends on micro-organisms that do not require, or require the
absence of, free oxygen or air for their metabolism.

AUTOCLAVING A system of sterilization using steam under pressure.

BALES Bale 52 is a ISRI specification written by the Carton Council for their multi-material poly coated cartons. Mills
find these bales have a higher yield than mixed paper and pay more for them. #52 bales are sorted optically and can only
recognize material with poly on the outside. Thus, paper hot cups will not be captured in these bales.
Mixed paper bales are made at virtually all 700 of the MRFs in the US.
#8 Bales used to consist of quality Old Newspaper (ONP) but now consist of general ONP.
#6 Bales uses to consist of lower quality ONP but now consist of mixed paper in many cases.
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BIOACCUMULATION The uptake and storage of increasing quantities of substances by living tissue.

BIODEGRADABLE Susceptible to degradation, usually by micro-organisms, leading to the release of heat, carbon
dioxide and organic residues, as well as methane.

BIOFILTER A biological reactor where polluted air can be biologically treated by passing it through a packed bed of
compost, wood chips, activated carbon etc., in which micro-organisms can absorb and degrade vapour pollutants.

BIOGAS Gas produced by the decomposition of any biodegradable materials, especially from landfill sites. Often used as
a fuel source for energy production.

BIOHAZARD A biological agent that is hazardous to human health.

BROWN GOODS Large electrical and electronic items such as TVs, video and audio equipment.

BROWNFIELD SITE Site where use and redevelopment is complicated by past use.

BUNDED AREA Containment where an impermeable wall is built to retain water or contamination.

C&D Construction and Demolition material.

CLINICAL WASTE Any waste which consists wholly or partly of: blood or other bodily fluids; drugs or other
pharmaceutical products; excretions; human or animal tissue; swabs or dressings; and syringes, needles or other sharp
instruments which unless made safe may be hazardous to anybody who comes in contact with it.

CO-DISPOSALThe disposal of more than one category of waste in the same landfill site, usually a range of industrial
wastes with biodegradable municipal wastes, such that the industrial wastes undergo gradual transformation into less
hazardous forms.

COMINGLED Comingled waste is unsorted waste. This can be either unsorted recyclable material, such as glass, cans,
paper or general waste. Often used in conjunction with descriptions of MRFs.

COMPOST Stabilised residue produced by the aerobic biological degradation of organic material in waste, often used as
a fertilizer for growing plants.

CONSIGNMENT NOTES A standard form used to pre-notify the Environment Agency of the removal of special waste
from a site.

CRADLE TO GRAVE Assessing the full effects of a products life-span from manufacture to disposal.

CULLET Recycled broken glass or waste glass used in glass-making.

DIGESTATE Stabilised residue produced by the anaerobic digestion of waste within an enclosed controlled reactor.

DIOXINS Various organic pollutants resulting from the manufacture of certain herbicides and bactericides, and often
arising as a consequence of the incomplete combustion of waste. Dioxins are extremely toxic, persistent and
bioaccumulative.

DIVERSION RATE The amount of waste diverted from landfill/incineration, to be recovered through recycling,
composting or energy from waste.

DUAL STREAM RECYLCING-

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EDDY CURRENT- An Eddy Current Separator consists of a short belt conveyor that has its drive located at the return
end and a high speed magnetic rotor system installed at the discharge end. The magnetic rotor, which is positioned within
a separately rotating non-metallic drum, revolves at around 3000 revolutions per minute during operation whilst the outer
drum cover rotates at the speed of the Eddy Currents’ belt conveyor.

As the rotor spins at these high speeds, an

electric current is induced into conducting
metals. The induced electric current produces a
magnetic field, which opposes the field created
by the rotor, repelling the conducting metals
over a pre-positioned splitter plate. The
remaining materials such as plastics, glass and
other dry recyclables will simply free fall over
the rotor, separating them from the repelled
metals.

ELUTRIATION (Wiki), is a process for

separating particles based on their size, shape
and density, using a stream of gas or liquid
flowing in a direction usually opposite to the
direction of sedimentation. This method is
predominately used for particles with size (>1μm). The smaller or lighter particles rise to the top (overflow) because their
terminal sedimentaion velocities are lower than the velocity of the rising fluid.

FEEDSTOCK RECYCLING A chemical process to convert plastic waste into its original hydrocarbon state for
reintroduction into the plastics process.

FERROUS Iron or a metal mixture containing iron.

FLASH POINT The lowest temperature at which vapour, as from oil, will ignite with a flash.

GAS DISCHARGE LAMPS Lamps which work by electrical energy being discharged in a gas. Gas discharge lamps
include fluorescent tubes and street lights.

GASIFICATION A reaction that creates gaseous fuels as a result of combining hot materials containing organic matter
with air, steam or oxygen.

HAZARDOUS WASTE Controlled waste that is special as defined in the Special Waste Regulations and under the
Hazardous Waste Directive. Refers to waste containing a hazardous substance in a quantity liable to cause harm to
humans and the environment if improperly handled, treated or disposed of.

INERT Non-reactive material.

INERT WASTES Those wastes that do not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformations
when deposited in a waste landfill.

IN-VESSEL COMPOSTING generally describes a group of methods that which confine the composting materials
within a building, container, or vessel.[1] In-vessel composting systems can consist of metal or plastic tanks or concrete
bunkers in which air flow and temperature can be controlled, using the principles of a "bioreactor". Generally the air
circulation is metered in via buried tubes that allow fresh air to be injected under pressure, with the exhaust being
extracted through a biofilter, with temperature and moisture conditions monitored using probes in the mass to allow
maintenance of optimum aerobic decomposition conditions.
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LANDFILL The process of burying waste in specially constructed pits, or landfill sites.

LANDFILL TECHNOLOGY The processes and technology used and associated with landfill construction and
maintenance.

LANDWON Aggregates that have been removed directly from the ground, and are not recycled or secondary.

LEACHATENoxious fluid produced in landfill sites by the percolation of liquid through the waste. Leachate is
systematically drawn off and either treated or reapplied to the top of the site.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) Systematic approach analysing the environmental impact of a product 'from
cradle to grave'.

MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY (MRF) Specialised plant that separates, processes and stores recyclables which
have been collected either separately from waste (a 'clean' MRF) or co-mingled with it ('dirty' MRF). Recycled materials
are then sent on to reprocessors and any residual material not suitable for processing goes for disposal.

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW) Waste collected and disposed of by or on behalf of a local authority, consisting
mainly of household and commercial waste.

NEGATIVE SORT Material that remains on a conveyor line destined for a bunker after other commodities and
contaminants have been removed.

NIMBY (NOT IN MY BACK YARD). A term originally coined with the media exposure of road protests. The tendency
for residents and communities to support the general principle of development, such as landfill sites and incinerators, but
object if they are to be built in their locality.

NON-FERROUS METAL A metal or mixture of metals not containing iron including aluminum and copper.

OPEN-WINDROWS A system used in composting, whereby the green waste is left in long 'open-air' piles that are
regularly turned to aid the composting process.

ORGANIC HYDROCARBONS Organic compounds of hydrogen and carbon, including fuels derived from organic
matter deposited over a geological time-scale (e.g. natural gas).

OZONE A naturally occurring molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms held together by the bonding of one oxygen
atom to another.

PARTICULATES Air-borne particles often associated with vehicle exhaust fumes.

PERCHED LEACHATE Leachate that has permeated into the soil and pervious rocks, and is perched above the natural
level of underground water.

PHOTOLYSIS/PHOTODEGRADATION Breakdown of a substance using light.

POLYOLEFINS A class of polymers that include HDPE/LDPE/PP. They mix well in recycling to form new products.

POSITIVE SORT Material that is removed from a conveyor due to being desirable or a contaminant.

POST-CONSUMER Used for its intended purpose and otherwise directed for disposal.
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PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY Initiative that seeks to ensure that industry assumes an increased share of the
responsibility for the wastes arising from its products (a direct application of the polluter pays principle).

PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP Taking responsibility for the full life cycle of a product.

PUTRESCIBLE Any waste that can be composted. Usually garden/park (green) waste and kitchen scraps. May also
include crop waste from agriculture and paper.

PYROLYSIS The production of gaseous fuels by heating hot materials containing organic matter in the absence of air.

REGRIND Plastic that has been recycled into flake (Ground).

REPRO Plastic that has been recycled into pellets.

RESIDUE (ALSO CALLED RESIDUAL) Material from a MRF that gets discarded/landfilled

SCRUBBING Process using water or a solution for purifying gases.

SECONDARY AGGREGATE Material such as crushed stone or gravel that has been used previously and recycled or
recovered.

SECONDARY METALS Metals that have been recovered or recycled for use in the production of more metal.

SECONDARY TREATMENT Removal of dissolved organic matter from sewage.

SKIRTING The cup material ending up in the mixed paper bales is considered acceptable within the yield loss margins –
it’ s called skirting. The product is not desirable.

THERMOPLASTICS A material that repeatedly softens or melts when heated and hardens when cooled. Thermoplastic
polymers consist of long polymer chains that are not connected to one another, i.e. not cross-linked. Thermoplastics
include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, acrylics, nylons, spandex-type
polyurethanes, polyamides, polycarbonates, fluorocarbons and cellulosics.

THERMOSETS A material that can not be softened on heating. In a thermosetting polymer, the long polymer chains are
joined to one another, i.e. cross-linked during fabrication through the use of chemicals, heat or radiation; this process is
called curing or vulcanization. Important thermosets include alkyds, phenolics, ureas, melamines, epoxies, polyesters,
silicones, rubbers and polyurethanes.

TIPPING FEE The fee a MRF or transfer charges haulers for unloading material at their facility.

TRANSFER STATION A business that receives recyclables, green waste, trash or any combination of the three from
haulers. The purpose is for haulers to deliver material to a location that can the load it into semi-truck trailers that deliver
the material to a MRF, landfill, composter, etc. The reason is that packer trucks which service residential and commercial
businesses typically only hold 6 tons while a full trailer can hold 20 tons. This process reduces transportation costs.

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND (VOC) All man made organic compounds (other than methane) that readily
evaporate into the atmosphere. Includes organic solvents (e.g. white spirit) used in paint.

WASTE TO ENERGY (WTE) The process of using waste to produce energy, either directly through incineration, or via
gas collection, through the capture of methane from landfill sites.
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WHITE GOODS Large appliances such as cookers, fridges and washing machines, from domestic and
commercial/industrial applications.

Windrow Composting (Wiki)- In agriculture, windrow composting is the production of compost by piling organic matter
or biodegradable waste, such as animal manure and crop residues, in long rows (windrows). This method is suited to
producing large volumes of compost. These rows are generally turned to improve porosity and oxygen content, mix in or
remove moisture, and redistribute cooler and hotter portions of the pile. Windrow composting is a commonly used farm
scale composting method. Composting process control parameters include the initial ratios of carbon and nitrogen rich
materials, the amount of bulking agent added to assure air porosity, the pile size, moisture content, and turning frequency.

The temperature of the windrows must be measured and logged constantly to determine the optimum time to turn them for
quicker compost production.