Waste Management and Resource Recovery
Kerbside collection is today often referred to as a strategy of local authorities to collect recyclable items from the consumer. Kerbside collection is considered a low-risk strategy to reduce waste volumes and increase recycling rates. Materials are typically collected in large bins, coloured bags, or small open plastic tubs, specifically designated for content.
Recyclable materials that may be separately collected from municipal waste include:
Biodegradable waste component
- Green waste
- Kitchen waste
Recyclable materials
- Office paper
- Newsprint
- Paperboard
- Corrugated fiberboard
- Plastics (#1 PET, #2 HDPE natural and colored, #3 PVC narrow-necked containers, #4 LDPE, #5 PP, #7 other mixed resin plastics)
- Glass
- Metals (ferrous and non-ferrous)
- Co-mingled recyclables- can be sorted by a clean materials recovery facility
Kerbside collection of recyclable resources is aimed to recover purer waste streams with higher market value than by other collection methods. If the household incorrectly separates the recyclable elements, the load may have to be put to landfill if it is deemed to be contaminated.
Kerbside collection and household recycling schemes are also being used as tools by local authorities to increase the public's awareness of their waste production.
Kerbside collection is commonly considered to be completely environmentally friendly. This may not necessarily be the case as it leads to an increased number of waste collection vehicles on the road, in themselves contributing to global warming through exhaust emissions until the time of their conversion to clean energy.
New and emerging waste treatment technologies such as mechanical biological treatment may offer an alternative to kerbside collection through automated separation of waste in recycling factories.
Read more about this topic: Kerbside Collection
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