HANDBOOK 1 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Solid Waste Stream Composition Analysis

NREB

Natural Resources

and Environment

Board

DANCED

Danish Co-operation

for Environment and

Development

HANDBOOK 1 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Solid Waste Stream Composition

Analysis

March 2002

Chemsain

Konsultant Sdn. Bhd.

COWI

Consulting Engineers

and Planners

Handbook 1

Solid Waste Management

Solid Waste Stream

Composition Analysis

1st Edition (1st Print)

March 2002

100 copies

© The Author and Danced Copenhagen

Quotation permitted with source credit

Printed by UM Colour Printing Company

Report No. SUD-02-51

i

Table of Contents

FOREWORD iii

1. Introduction 1

2. Background 2

2.1 Defining Solid Waste 2

3. Analysis of Solid Waste Stream Composition 3

4. Scope of Procedure 4

4.1. Sampling Procedures 4

4.1.1 Collection Route 6

4.2.2 Sampling Size 7

4.2 Procedures of Waste Analysis 7

4.2.1 Manpower, Working Area and Equipment

Requirement 8

4.2.2 Waste Analysis Procedure 16

4.3 Verification and Evaluation 20

REFERENCES 20

ii

Abbreviation

DANCED Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development

DANIDA Danish International Development Assistance

ERRA European Recovery and Recycling Association

HDPE High Density Poly Ethylene

PVC Poly Vinyl Chloride

NREB Natural Resources and Environment Board

SUD Sustainable Urban Development Project, Sarawak

UEMS Urban Environmental Management System

iii

FOREWORD

In June 1999, the State Government of Sarawak, in collaboration with

the Danish Cooperation on Environment and Development

(DANCED)1 initiated the Sustainable Urban Development Project in

Kuching. The project is aimed to facilitate the development of a

coherent Urban Environmental Management System (UEMS) for the

city of Kuching.

Solid waste management has been prioritised as one of the two areas

of concern for immediate practical implementation of the UEMS in

Kuching. Analysis of waste stream composition is an essential

component in solid waste planning and monitoring. The information

is essential for assessing possible recycling programmes as well as to

support determination of appropriate waste treatment options. Waste

composition data constitute the background for identifying which

material should be targeted for potential diversion and recovery rate.

To enable comparisons between subsequent analyses and between

analyses in different areas, common procedures and methodologies

are required.

This handbook delineates the principles and methodologies of waste

stream composition analysis for application in Sarawak. The

handbook can also be applicable for other States of Malaysia. The

procedure was developed with consideration of international

practices as well as experiences and lessons learnt from a solid waste

baseline study carried out in Kuching in February 2001. The

procedures proposed are therefore tailored made for the local

situation, taking into considerations optimum resource usage and the

local socio-economic background for conducting manual separation

of waste.

1 DANCED had been absorbed into DANIDA of Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 27

November 2001

iv

I hope this handbook will be useful as a first standard guide for future

analysis of waste stream composition.

CHONG TED TSIUNG

Acting Controller of Environmental Quality

Natural Resources and Environmental Board, Sarawak

1

1. Introduction

This handbook delineates basic principles and procedures for

determining solid waste stream composition. It attempts to provide

a clear guidance on how to sample, analyse and determine waste

composition. It also looks at the management aspects of

composition analysis such as survey preparation and coordination,

steps and procedures in the composition analysis, and requirements

in relation to equipment, workers, and health and safety procedures

when carrying out the exercise.

Waste composition analysis of residential waste, commercial waste

and waste from automobile workshops and garages in Kuching was

conducted by the Sarawak Government/DANCED sponsored

Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) project in February 2001.

The analysis has to be repeated periodically, using the same

methodology, to measure the changes in waste stream composition

over time.

This handbook is divided into the following key sections:

Background - This section is to provide a brief introduction to

solid waste definition and classification in Sarawak.

Analysis of Solid Waste Stream Composition - This section

describes the rationale for carrying out the survey and analysis of

solid waste, and why the analysis of solid waste composition is

important in delineating plans and solid waste management

programmes.

Scope and Procedure of Analysis - This section describes the

scope and procedures involved in the analysis and determination of

solid waste composition.

2

2. Background

2.1 Defining Solid Waste

There is no existing standardised definition of solid waste in

Sarawak. Solid waste is also commonly referred to as refuse or

garbage. Typically, solid waste in urban areas is defined according

to the rationale behind the different relevant legislation.

According to the Local Authority (Cleanliness) By-Laws (1999),

waste can be defined as:

any substance which constitutes a scrap material or an effluent

or other unwanted surplus substance arising from the

application of any processes, including cooking, preparation of

food and drink, construction, demolition , alteration or repair

works;

any substance or article or fitting which requires to be disposed

of as being broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise

spoiled, including animal carcasses.

This type of definition is clearly related to the public task of

disposing the residual material from the activities in the society.

In other legislation, the term is related to the material giving rise to

a pollution or detrimental effect on the environment. This type of

definition is related to the agencies dealing with environmental

protection.

Typically, solid waste can be divided into the following streams

according to the nature of activities:

a) Residential – single family houses, flats and apartments,

condominiums. Bulky and garden waste generated from

residential sources are included;

3

b) Commercial – trading and servicing activities (including

commercial markets, food premises, hotels, private clinics,

offices etc.);

c) Industrial – large and small-medium sized industrial activities

and establishments;

d) Institutional - hospitals, welfare homes, educational and

recreational facilities;

e) Infrastructural – transportation terminals (airports, ports etc.)

and utilities (power plants, water and sludge treatment plants) ;

f) Construction and demolition activities – Housing,

commercial, industrial, infrastructural development projects

etc.

A detailed overview of solid waste classification can be found in

the Solid Waste Baseline Study: Main Report, March 2002

prepared by the SUD Project in Sarawak.

3. Analysis of Solid Waste Stream Composition

Knowledge on the composition of solid waste is important for

establishing solid waste management plans.

For instance, knowledge about the proportion of recyclable

fractions of waste in the solid waste stream is important for

determining the feasibility of establishing recycling schemes for

these fractions as well as for monitoring the efficiency of already

introduced recycling schemes.

The knowledge is equally important for evaluating the different

treatment options for solid waste, e.g. landfilling and incineration.

The feasibility of incineration will be determined largely by the

combustion value of the waste and the content of materials that

may give rise to detrimental emissions to the air (e.g. PVC) and the

content of materials that may harm the facility during operation.

4

Due to increasing environmental awareness and concerns for

energy and natural resources, analysis of waste composition has

become a more important tool in the planning of waste

management systems internationally.

4. Scope of Procedure

This section outlines procedures and guidelines for analysis and

determination of waste composition from different streams. The

section takes into consideration procedures established

internationally as well as local experiences from the surveys

conducted by the SUD project in February 2001.

4.1. Sampling Procedures

The samples to be collected for analysis need to be representative

of the specific solid stream in question e.g. residential. In order to

select an ideal and representative sample, the following

considerations need to be taken into account:

representative size of sample e.g. number of households

required to be representative for the specific stream

composition of entities representing the streams e.g. terraced

vs. detached houses

social and economic background e.g. different communities or

ethic groups may have different life styles

special events that can affect the results e.g. rain, festive season

etc.

The size of the sample is dependent on the number of sources

involved in a particular waste stream. For example, for residential

areas, the following is recommended by the ERRA (1993):

5

Table 1. Size of sampling based on number of households involved

Number of

households

involved

Minimum number

of households

Minimum

sample weight

(kg)

Less than 1,000 10% or 50* 500

1,000 – 9,999 5% or 100* 1,000

10,000 – 49,999 2.5% or 500* 5,000

More than 50,000 1% or 1250* 12,500 Source: ERRA (1993) “Waste analysis procedures”

The frequency of sampling can also be reduced over the years

when the trend has been built up, and information on the

sensitivity towards sample size has been determined.

The recommended frequency of sampling depends on the

budgetary and operational factors. Taking into consideration the

local conditions, a sampling frequency of six months is

recommended:

Wet season (January- February)2

Dry season (July – August)

In order to generate an annual average figure based on the two

surveys, consolidation of results from the analysis is required.

Consolidation of Several Analysis

Consolidation of results can include the following possibilities:

1. A straight average of the percentage of the individual fractions

in the different surveys

2 must avoid festive season such as Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri

6

2. A weighted average adjusting the percentage of the individual

fractions according to the total weight of waste measured in the

different surveys

3. A weighted average according to the period that each analysis

represents

Information required includes the waste generation rate

(kg/inhabitant/week) and ongoing data from the waste stream

analysis. A detailed description of the above consolidation tests is

given in the multi-material recovery report published by the ERRA

(1996), “Using the results of waste stream analyses”.

4.1.1 Collection Route

In general, waste collection routes are designed based on logistic

effectiveness and, they therefore often contains various types of

activities. For example, a route can include waste collected from

residential, commercial as well as institutional premises. Therefore,

selecting a representative route for the stream of interest is

important for ensuring the quality and reliability of the data.

In general, selection of routes that represent the waste stream of

interest is possible if it is carefully coordinated with the logistic

collection planning team. On the day of sampling and analysis, the

route identified should be designated to collect waste only

originating from a particular waste stream selected e.g. residential.

Important:

1. Sampling should not take place during or 1 day after heavy

rain;

2. The collected waste must not be compacted to ensure easier

segregation of waste fractions; and

3. The waste should be collected early in the morning to ensure

sufficient time for the segregation exercise and to minimise

nuisance effects due to degradation of the waste.

7

4.2.2 Sampling Size

The waste composition analysis must be completed within the

same day of sample collection. Therefore the size of the waste

sample is determined by the following factors:

Representation of waste streams (see guidelines above);

Number of supervisors and workers available to analyse and

segregate the waste; and

Budgetary allocation and operational restriction e.g. number of

bins available for waste fraction weighing etc.

The size of the waste analysis team is recommended to be between

10-15, supervised by 5-7 supervisors with one chief supervisor.

The samples to be handled per worker is recommended to be 200

kg/day. Therefore, a typical total sample weight of 2,000-2,500 kg

is recommended.

4.2 Procedures for Waste Analysis

Waste composition analysis includes segregation of different waste

fractions based on a clearly defined classification, followed by

measuring of the quantities (% weight) of the different fractions

and, finally, compiling the data into waste composition

information.

The identification of waste fractions is not always straight-forward.

In some cases where there will be uncertainty in determining the

fraction to which a certain unit of waste belongs or there will be

uncertainties in distinguishing between waste fractions that are

very similar in nature i.e. “grey zone material”. It is important that

decisions on “grey zone material” are consistent for consequent

surveys. “Grey zone” uncertainties will arise continuously during

the sorting exercise. The decisions of the chief supervisor in each

8

case will have to be properly documented to ensure consistency

when future similar cases arise. Gradually, the documentation will,

therefore, be more and more comprehensive.

The equipment and procedures are further described in the

following sections:

4.2.1 Manpower, Working Area and Equipment

Requirement

Manpower - Supervisors and Workers

All personnel involved in the waste composition analysis

contribute to the accuracy of the results of the analysis. Therefore,

the selection of personnel involved is very important. All personnel

involved must be properly trained and briefed prior to the actual

day of analysis.

The personnel can be divided into the following groups:

Table 2. Roles and skills requirement of supervisors and workers

Level of

personnel

Responsibilities in the

survey

Skills / education

required

Chief

supervisor Oversee overall

exercise

Provide waste

classification training

for supervisors

Decide on uncertainties

in waste identification

i.e. decisions on "grey-

zone" waste types and

record decisions

Record and compile

data obtained

Knowledge about

and experience in

waste

classification

Data recording

and analysis skill

Level in

organisation –

officers or senior

health inspector

level

9

Supervisors

Ensure correct

segregation of waste

according to

classification - check

efficiency of sorting in

the containers for

separated fractions -

immediate correction

of wrong sorting

Clarify uncertainties

in waste identification

for workers

Ensure supply of

refreshments and

equipment required

for the survey

Knowledge about

and experience in

waste

management

Communication

skills with

workers

Level in

organisation –

assistant officers

or health

inspectors

Assigned to

maximum two

workers during the

survey

General

workers

Actual waste

segregation from piles

Weighing and

emptying of bins

Hands on

experience in waste

handling and

segregation

Level – labourers

e.g. scavengers in

the landfill or

collection crews

Collection

truck driver

and

collection

crews

Collection of waste to

be analysed

Coordinate with chief

supervisor on routes

and targeted stream

Report if any special

observations are made

during the collection

Communication

skill with chief

supervisor

Level – drivers or

labourers in waste

collection company

10

Working Area

Due to the nature of the work, an open, flat and dry area is

recommended for carrying out the waste composition analysis. The

area should be kept at a distance from activities sensitive to odour.

A minimum working area of 10m X 10 m is required. The working

area must be accessible by waste collection trucks. This work area

should be divided into the following areas:

Waste unloading area

Area for sorting

Area for weighing and recording

Clean area for break and refreshment

A typical schematic layout of working area is included in Annex 1.

The area should be properly shaded and provision of electricity

supply is also required for the weighing scale. Details of equipment

required are described in the equipment section below.

Figure 1: Typical layout of the sorting area

11

For the case of Kuching, the waste composition analysis was

carried out within an available area adjacent to the existing

dumpsite, which minimised the logistic cost of waste

transportation.

12

Equipment

The following equipment are required for the analysis:

Type of

equipment

Specification Quantity

required per

survey

Purpose of equipment

Undercover sheet HDPE – 20ft x 20 ft, must be

waterproofed and durable

1 To prevent the mingling of

the waste being analysed

with any other material on

the ground (e.g. soil, rocks,

water). The canvas should

be laid for area on unloading

and sorting

Sun Shade For sheltering the sorting area

– HDPE, 20ft x 20ft (typical

shade for outdoor

activities/function)

Recording area – Hawker

styled, umbrella type

2

1

Provide shelter from sun and

rain for the personnel while

the exercise is being

conducted.

Wheel bins HDPE (plastic) 120 L mobile

wheel bins.

12

(2 spare)

For storage and

transportation of the

13

Type of

equipment

Specification Quantity

required per

survey

Purpose of equipment

Must be movable and able to

be emptied by 2 labourers

individual sorted fractions.

Coding of the containers by

obvious signs/illustrations

according to the waste

categories (e.g.

paper/cardboard, metal,

plastic, wood and etc.)

would aid the workers

during the segregation.

RoRo /bulk

containers

Steel bulk bins – 10 m3

1 For receiving waste after

weighing for final disposal

Racks & Shovels Typical fork racks and large

shovels. Must be durable and

of reasonable quality

5-10 sets Separation of waste piles

and scooping of waste into

wheel bins

Rubber boots,

overalls and

gloves

Industrial standard rubber

boots, light weight overalls

and industrial quality rubber

gloves

30 sets Protection of safety and

health of personnel involved

in direct waste handling

14

Type of

equipment

Specification Quantity

required per

survey

Purpose of equipment

Face mask Light weight dust mask with

activated carbon filter

50 To reduce discomfort in

waste handling and general

health protection

Pocket knives Stainless steel and durable

10-15 For opening of the plastic

bags etc.

Weighing scale Maximum weight of 150 kg.

Accuracy up to 0.1 kg

preferred. Must be portable

and durable

Battery operated preferable. If

power supply is required,

extension cords of required

length should be available for

the weighing scale.

1 For weighing of sorted

waste fractions.

Table and chair No specific requirement

1 set For use during recording of

data

15

Data recording

sheet

See Annex 2 for example 1 set with some

extra copies

For recording of weighing

data for each fractions.

Pencils, eraser and a

calculator will be needed.

Camera (optional) No specific requirement

(digital preferable for easy

documentation)

1 For documentation of survey

and any observations

16

4.2.2 Waste Analysis Procedure

The following section describes the procedures recommended:

Preliminary Preparation

1. Site and equipment preparation

– Sun shades should be set up the night prior to the survey. The

canvas sheet should be properly laid before unloading of waste.

The unloading area should only be covered by the sun shades

after unloading of waste

– Bulk bin for final disposal and wheeled bins should be in place

prior to the survey

2. On site briefing

- All personnel should report for duty prior to unloading of

waste. A site briefing and confirmation of task distribution

should take place. An onsite waste classification “reference

guide” with coding/labelling is beneficial for the supervisors

and workers. Example of materials belonging to each waste

fraction can be placed adjacent to the individual wheel bins

allocated for that particular waste fraction.

- All wheel bins must be weighed and labelled with

identification

Unloading Waste

3. Weighing bridge

– The collection trucks should register the total waste collected at

a weight bridge prior to arrival and unloading

17

4. Unloading area

- The waste to be analysed should be unloaded onto the canvas

slowly

Figure 2: Unloading of waste on canvas sheet

Waste Sorting

5. The workers can be divided into groups of 2 persons each, and

the total waste piles can be sub-divided into individual piles of

~350-400 kg/group. The workers of each group are responsible

for sorting their own pile, placing respective fractions into the

correct wheel bins and emptying the wheel bins when

necessary.

6. Waste especially from residential area is commonly placed in

plastic bags before being disposed into a bin. Therefore, there

is a need to open these bags with the pocket knife provided to

ensure accurate identification of the waste. All mixed waste

must be segregated as much as possible. Based on the

18

experience of SUD surveys, it was found that leaving out

separation of waste from bags might give rise to unrealistic

results and, therefore, defeating the purpose of the whole

exercise.

7. The supervisors continuously ensure that the wastes dumped

into the bins is correctly reported.

Figure 3: Opening of plastic bags is essential for accurate results

Weighing and Recording

8. The wheel bins filled up are loaded on the weighing scale and

the weight of each fraction recorded accordingly in the

columns of the recording sheets. Note that the tare weight of

the bins itself must be taken into account for.

9. The recorded weight is added up for each waste fraction at the

end of the survey.

19

Figure 4: Weighing and recording of waste fractions

Clearing of Bins

10. After recording, all bins must be emptied immediately to the

bulk bins provided nearby. The bins must be handled by at

least 2 workers for safety and health reason.

Figure 5: Final disposal of waste fractions

20

4.3 Verification and Evaluation

It is important that the waste stream analysis results from the

survey are representative and can be used to extrapolate for the

overall interested waste stream or area. Variation and trend in

waste composition due to seasonal, economic and ethnic factors

can be recognised by increasing the coverage and number of

analyses.

Waste analysis results will always involve a certain degree of

uncertainty. The results should be compared to previous surveys

for verification. However, if similar results are not available for

verification to any significant extent, the results obtained can be

compared to typical waste composition results generated by other

institutions for developing countries as an initial check.

For example, the first result obtained from the SUD survey

indicated that approximately 80% of the residential waste qas

organic for the samples taken. If this is compared to the typical

organic composition (50%) of waste generated from medium

income developing countries such as Malaysia, a deviation of 30%

simply indicates that the results obtained were very unlikely to be

representative and should be leave out for further analysis.

REFERENCES

Sarawak Government (1999), “The Local Authorities (Cleanliness)

By-Laws 1999”.

Using the results of waste stream analyses (1996), Multi-material

recovery report, European Recovery & Recycling Association

(ERRA), Belgium.

Waste analysis procedure (1993), Multi-material recovery

reference, European Recovery & Recycling Association, Belgium.

21

Annex 1 - Schematic Presentation of Working Area Layout for

Waste Composition Analysis

22

Annex 2 - Waste classification for residential and commercial

waste

Residential

Category Total Weight (Kg) % Weight

Paper

Cardboard

Food waste

Garden waste

Wood waste

Scrap metal

Plastic bags

Plastic bottles

Glass

Other combustible waste1

Non combustible waste2

Hazardous waste3

Total

1 – (Parts of furniture, textiles, tissues, diapers, hygienic towels and other waste can

burn)

2 – (Stone, soil, concrete, bricks and other waste that cannot burn). Mixed waste (e.g.

steel pipe mixed with concrete), always goes with the heavier component 3 – (Paint, batteries, oil and oily substances, chemicals, spray cans, other hazardous

waste packaging, medical waste)

23

Commercial

Category Total Weight (Kg) % Weight

Paper

Cardboard

Food waste

Garden waste

Wood waste

Scrap metal

Plastic waste

Glass

Tires

Other combustible waste1

Non combustible Waste2

Hazardous waste3

Total

1 – (Parts of furniture, textiles, tissues, diapers, hygienic towels and other waste can

burn)

2 – (Stone, soil, concrete, bricks and other wastes that cannot burn). Mixed waste (e.g.

steel pipe mixed with concrete) always goes with the heavier component

3 – (Paint, batteries, oil and oily substances, chemicals, spray cans, other hazardous

waste packaging, medical waste)