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:

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Articles about Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Processing

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Experts for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Processing

Dan Fairest

M&J Recycling

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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.

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Ankit Kalola

Fornnax Technology Pvt. Ltd

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Mr. Ankit Kalola serves as the Global Head – Sales at Fornnax Technology Pvt. Ltd, where he has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s sales strategy and global footprint. A seasoned expert in shredding systems and end-to-end recycling solutions, he excels in building client-centric approaches, driving market penetration, and aligning technical solutions with customer needs. His strategic direction has significantly contributed to Fornnax’s success across diverse industries and geographies. Mr. Kalola’s leadership continues to fuel growth, innovation, and long-term partnerships worldwide. For further information or to connect with Mr. Kalola, please reach out at +91-9033077711 or email: info@fornnax.com.

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Tom Jansen

TOMRA Recycling

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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.

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Andre Matula

Waste Robotics

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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.

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Olli Heinonen

Tana Oy

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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.

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Xu Xifeng

Jiangsu Keson Environment Technology Co., Ltd.

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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.

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Charles Daridon

Bollegraaf Group

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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.