Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Processing

Municipal solid waste (MSW), also known as trash or garbage, is non-hazardous refuse generated by households, institutions, hospitals, and businesses. It comprises waste, compostable, and recyclable materials, with the municipality overseeing its disposal.

Typically, this refuse is collected, separated, and sent to either a landfill or a municipal recycling center for processing.

In some cases, what is defined by a community as municipal solid waste will vary by jurisdiction.

Definition of municipal solid waste = All types of solid waste generated by households and commercial establishments and collected usually by local government bodies.

Municipal solid waste consists of:

household domestic waste that is set aside for collection or delivered by the householder directly to the waste facility,
other types of domestic waste (e.g., domestic clean-up, furniture, and residential garden waste),
local council generated waste (e.g., waste from street sweeping, litter bins, and parks),
commercial waste generated from food preparation premises, supermarkets, etc.).

The combined residential and commercial solid waste generated in an area can also be an MSW definition. MSW includes paper, cans, bottles, food scraps, yard waste, and other items.

Recently, the importance of alternative energy sources has become increasingly apparent, with landfills reaching capacity.

MSW consists of everyday items like glass, plastics, metals, textiles, organics, and paper.

The material mix of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) varies per country and, in some cases, even per community.

This mix contains many valuable products, compost, and high calorific materials (refuse-derived fuel / RDF) that, once separated by mechanical treatment or degraded by biological treatment, offer a broad range of new resources.

RDF (refuse-derived fuel) exploits the traditional household waste (MSW) energy content to substitute conventional fuels, thus posing an alternative.

MSW recycling is attractive, both environmentally and economically.

However, before the waste can be used as fuel, it must be sorted, and volume reduced into a homogenous fraction size.

MSW management consists of 4 components:

Disposal
Composting
Waste-to-energy
Recycling

It is crucial to monitor MSW collection and record the information about collection time, area, and other related data from a central location.

Municipal solid waste management covers the activities and actions required to manage MSW from collection to its final disposal.

Municipal Solid Waste recycling systems employ a variety of different pieces of equipment to quickly and reliably sort materials, including the following:

Subscribe to our E-newsletters

Get the extensive coverage for technical textile professionals who buy, maintain, manage or operate equipment, delivered to your inbox (it’s free!).

By signing up for our list, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.

Articles about Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Processing

AI Tech Solutions for Municipal Waste Management Company

The Municipal Waste Management Company operates in a diverse metropolitan area, providing waste collection and recycling services for over 50,000 residents. As demand for efficient waste management services grows, the ...

17 January 2025

Ecocem Expands Alternative Fuel Production in Sulaymaniyah

In 2020, Eggersmann Anlagenbau implemented the Eggersmann FUEL process in the Ecocem waste treatment plant in Sulaymaniyah. Since then, municipal solid waste (MSW) has been processed there into refuse derived ...

23 October 2024

Sewage sludge conditioning by Ploughshare® Mixers

The processing of highly heterogeneous material flows, e.g. from sewage treatment plants, power stations, recycling plants or mining operations, to enable their safe and marketable reuse is a highly demanding ...

12 April 2024

STADLER Designs And Installs First Of Three High-Efficiency MRF and Compost Refinement Plants

Greek renewable energy company Terna Energy, part of the Gek Terna Group, is a leading player in clean energy production and the largest investor in Renewable Energy Sources in Greece. ...

30 May 2023

Norway’s first AI-powered Robotic Sorting Station for Industrial Waste

The new robotic sorting facility will substantially increase material recovery at Bjorstaddalen and make a major move from waste incineration toward a circular economy in the Nordic country. ...

16 March 2021

Modular Plants are Ideal Solution to Tackling Today’s “Wave of Waste”

DUNGANNON - With increasing amounts of various waste-streams increasing during lockdown, operators and local authorities may need to turn their sights to modular solutions to handle new volumes, as featured ...

3 June 2020

Experts for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Processing

Andre Matula

Waste Robotics

ASK A QUESTION

Andre Matula, Business Development Director – UK & Europe Have been involved in over 200 recycling equipment projects, from simple to large MRF’s and system retrofits. Travelled globally, visiting many sites, and gaining a broad perspective on many applications such as, C&D, DMR, Plastics, SRF/RDF, Glass, Metals and their current trends, and changes within the industry. Experience in helping customers in their new and current business to turn a problematic process / material into a profitable commodity along with technical advice / support on how to achieve this via design etc. Proven leadership skills involving managing, developing, and motivating individuals to achieve their objectives. First class in design, problem solving and detailed reporting skills.

ASK A QUESTION

Olli Heinonen

Tana Oy

ASK A QUESTION

Tana Oy’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mr. Olli Heinonen has a strong knowledge of global sales and heavy machinery business. Prior to his current role, Olli was the Director for a consumables product line at Metso Outotec and Metso. At Tana Oy, Olli is responsible for overseeing the sales and marketing efforts, ensuring that the company’s products meet the evolving needs of customers in the waste management industry. His leadership contributes to Tana’s strong growth path and the mission of delivering innovative and efficient solutions that help manage waste sustainably.

ASK A QUESTION

Xu Xifeng

Jiangsu Keson Environment Technology Co., Ltd.

ASK A QUESTION

Xu Xifeng, the founder of Keson and vice president of Jiangsu Low Carbon Environment Design Institute of China. He has been engaged in solid waste recycling industry for more than 10 years, and has unique insights on solid waste overall solutions and resource recovery and sorting systems. He has visited well-known solid waste treatment companies in the Middle East, Europe, America and other regions, introducing standardized, refined and systematic management concepts of global top enterprises to his enterprises, and transforming advanced technologies and processes into productive forces. Within five years of solid waste sorting technology and waste resources in the field of rapid layout, his products are sold in 17 countries and more than 40 regions.

ASK A QUESTION

Charles Daridon

Bollegraaf Group

ASK A QUESTION

Charles Daridon is the Director Global Sales of the Bollegraaf Group. Charles was born in Bretagne but has been living in the Netherlands for several years now (since 2018). After a BSC in Chemistry, Charles attended a business school INSEEC in Paris. For more than 25 years, Charles has worked in the waste industry (soil remediation engineering, landfills, wastewater treatment, biogas plant) and, in the last 15 years, he became an expert in waste sorting solutions. His environmental commitment is not only professional but also personal.

ASK A QUESTION

Tom Jansen

TOMRA Recycling

ASK A QUESTION

After studying Chemical Engineering at the Technical University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Tom started working as Sales Engineer at Innov-X Systems. He initially focused on selling handheld XRF equipment in the Benelux, while gradually extending the geographical territory over the years. From 2007 he was heavily involved in the pioneering of automated XRF sensor technology, bringing this new technology to the metal scrap market worldwide. Tom joined TOMRA Sorting (then Titech GmbH) in 2011 as Sales Manager responsible for the Metal Recycling market in the Netherlands and Belgium. Since then, in his role as Segment Champion for the ELV shredder segment, he has also supported the metal recycling market in the Middle East region, Italy, Greece and projects in several other countries.

ASK A QUESTION

Dan Fairest

M&J Recycling

ASK A QUESTION

At M&J Recycling, my role as the UK & ROI Sales Manager centres on providing top-tier shredding solutions tailored to the waste and recycling sector’s dynamic needs. My competencies lie in ensuring each solution aligns perfectly with our client’s operational objectives. Capitalising on my 20-plus years of experience in the industry, my mission is to deliver reliable and innovative shredding technology that meets the rigorous demands of materials processing. My professional career is driven by the satisfaction of resolving complex waste management challenges, fostering long-term client relationships, and steering projects to completion with efficiency and precision.