ABSTRACT
The primary characteristic of importance for solid wastes (SWs) lies in the fact that they are solid. SWs are simply solid materials that have lost value for their owner and are discarded. SWs are characterized by many parameters. Municipal SWs include the residential SW, the commercial SW, and limited industrial SW generated within the jurisdiction of the municipality. Industrial SWs consist of hazardous SWs and non-hazardous SWs. The construction of new houses and new commercial buildings results in the production of construction SWs in direct proportion to the materials employed in the construction project. Areas with heavy rains will find that the streets are cleaned of all but the heaviest solid materials. Alum treatment of surface water produces an aluminum hydroxide floc that removes the suspended solids in the surface water. The mining industry produces large quantities of SWs that must also be returned to the land environment.
