Solid Waste

Management
COLLECTION OF SOLID
WASTE

Introduction
Collection

of

commingled

(unseparated)

and

separated

(recyclables) solid waste is a critical part of any solid waste

management program.

Collection starts with the containers holding materials that

a generator has designated as no longer useful (solid waste
and recyclables) and ends with the transportation of solid
wastes or recyclables to a location for processing (e.g., a
materials recovery facility), transfer, or disposal.

 The purpose of this chapter is to identify the various combinations of

service and technology that are now used for the collection of wastes. Six
specific topics to be addressed include:
1. The logistics of solid waste management
2. The types of waste collection services
3. The types of collection systems, equipment, and personnel requirements
4. The collection routes
5. The management of collection systems
6. The collection system economics

THE LOGISTICS OF SOLID WASTE COLLECTION

The management of collection -difficult and complex in an urban

environment as the generation of residential and commercialindustrial solid waste and recyclables takes place in every home,
every apartment building, and every commercial and industrial
facility, as well as in the streets, parks, and even vacant areas.

As the patterns of waste generation become more diffuse and the

total quantity of waste increases, the logistics of collection become
more complex.

 Managers

of

collection

systems

must

recognize and deal with the concerns of a

population paying bills for services that
reflect the high cost of fuel and labor.
Of the total amount of money spent on solid
waste

management

processing,

(collection,

recycling,

and

transport,
disposal),

approximately 50 to 70 percent is spent on

the collection activity.
Because such a large fraction of the total cost
is associated with the collection operation, a
small

percentage

improvement

in

the

collection operation can affect a significant

savings in the overall system cost.

TYPES OF WASTE COLLECTION SERVICES

Collection includes not only the collection of solid wastes from

the various sources, but also the hauling of these wastes to the
location where the contents of the collection vehicles are
emptied

and

the

unloading

(Tchobanoglous et al., 1993).

of

the

collection

vehicle

Collection of commingled MSW

From low-rise detached

dwellings
Types of residential collection services

Curb in front of house on the curb

Alley one or two containers in the alley

Setout-Setback forth and back to the house

Setout forth but not back to the house

Manual methods

Direct lifting and carrying of loaded containers

Rolling of loaded containers

Use of small lifts for rolling loaded containers

Hauled Container System

Thcs = (Phcs + s + h)
The time required for a trip is the sum of the pickup time, the time
on site and the haul time.
The haul time may be expressed as :

h = a + bx

and is essentially a

function of the distance traveled.

The pickup time may be expressed as follows :

Phcs = pc + uc + dbc
(Pick up the container, Empty the container at the disposal and drive to the next container)

In plain English, the pickup time is the sum required to pickup the
container, to unload the container and drive between containers

(p+u+d).

C. Stationary Container System

Tscs = (Pscs + s + h), Pscs = Ct(uc) + (np-1)(dbc)

The pickup time depends upon the number of containers
multiplied by the unit loading time plus the number of locations times
the driving time between the locations.
Given: A stationary container system (mechanically loaded), 3.5
collection trips/wk, 8hrs/day, 3.22 h/trip (pick up time), at site time
0.1h/trip, round trip = 10 miles, a=.018 h/trip. b= .020h/trip,
productive time = 85%
Note: Even though a partial trip (3.5 collection trips), a full trip (4) will
have to be made to the disposal area.
Find: Time required per week

D. Adjusting the Basic Equations

Given: A stationary container system costs $

0.037/ton. minute. A transfer station costs $
0.023/ton.min + $ 2.03/ton.
Find: The round trip haul trip at which a transfer
station becomes economical.

1. Analytical
0.037X =0.023x + 2.03
X = 145 minutes, time must be 145 minutes

2. Graphical

SC
T S

C ost
( $ / to n )

1 4 5 m i n u te s
T i m e ( m i n u te s )

Collection Routes
Use a heuristic (common sense), trial and error approach consistent with
the philosophy of collecting the most waste with least resources in the
context of constraints such as equipment breakdowns, holidays and
vacations, good labor practices and the following guidelines:
Crew size and vehicles must be known and coordinated.
Routes should begin and end near arteries
Topographic and physical boundaries should be route boundaries.
Start at the top of a hill and work downward.
Last collection point should be near disposal site.
Traffic problems should be dealt with early in the morning.
Extremely large load should be dealt with early in the morning.

Layout of Collection Routes

Location maps showing data concerning the sources
including location, collection frequency, number of containers
Data analysis,

try to balance the routes in accordance with

pickups and time.

Preliminary layout of routes, start at the depot and do a route.
An idea of truck capacity Vs. loads is in order.
Fine tune the preliminary design.