A

ABS – An acronym for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastics.

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene – A high durability plastic-rubber blend. The acronym ABS is commonly used.

Alloy – Metal produced by combining a basic metal with other metals or non-metal to attain certain properties.

B

Backyard Composting – The controlled biodegradation of leaves, grass clippings and/or other yard wastes on the site where they were generated.

Bale – A densified and bound cube of recyclable material, such as recovered paper, scrap metal or rags.

Baler – A machine used to compress and bind secondary materials for shipment and storage.

Biodegradable – Organic material capable of being converted into basic compounds or elements by bacteria.

Bottle Bank – A mobile, divided bin used for receiving, storing and transporting glass containers for recycling.

Broke – Paper that has been discarded at a mill during manufacture, commonly as trimmings or spoiled paper. It can include both finished, dry paper as well as paper from the wet press of a paper machine. Nearly all broke is repulped.

C

C & D – Acronym for construction and demolition waste.

Can Separator – A machine developed in the 1970’s to separate ferrous cans from aluminum beverage cans.

Chipboard – A form of paperboard that is produced commonly from recovered paper.

Closed-Loop Recycling – The use of a recyclable material, such as cullet, to make the same item, in this case a new glass bottle.

Co-Composting – The composting of municipal solid waste and wastewater treatment plant sludge.

Commercial Solid Wastes – Solid wastes generated by wholesale, retail or service businesses and multi-unit residential structures. Some communities define institutional solid wastes as commercial solid wastes. Commercial solid wastes are one form of municipal solid wastes.

Compost – As a noun, the humus-like organic product generated from composting. As a verb, to decay.

Composting – The microbial degradation of organic matter into a useful product.

Consumption – The amount of any resource or energy used in a given time by a given number of people.

Contaminant– A material that is harmful to the recycling process when included with a recyclable material. Called contraries in some countries.

Contamination – Impurity.

Crumb Rubber – Ground or shredded rubber.

Curbside Recycling– The generic term for scheduled recycling collection service to households. Some curbside recycling collection programs collect from alleys. Typically, curbside recycling does not refer to service to multi-family dwellings.

D

Degradable – Capable of being chemically reduced or degraded.

Devulcanization – The process of scrap tires by use of a thermo-chemical reaction.

Diversion Rate – The amount of municipal solid waste diverted from disposal through reduction, reuse and recycling efforts.

Drivebys – The number of households or businesses on a specific recycling collection route(s). This is the theoretical service population, given participation by all potential households or businesses.

Drop-Off Center – A recycling collection location where citizens can delivery separated secondary materials, such as newspapers, glass containers and metal cans. The typical center is unattended.

F

Ferrous – Pertaining to or derived from iron. Most ferrous metals are magnetic.

Food Waste Composting – The separate collection and processing of food wastes, often including those organic wastes generated by restaurants and cafeterias.

Foundry – An industrial establishment for the production of metal castings, often using scrap metals.

Front-End Loader – 1) A solid waste collection truck that has a power-driven loading mechanism at the front. 2) A vehicle with a power-driven scoop or bucket at the front, used to load secondary materials into processing equipment or shipping containers.

G

Garbage – 1) Discarded food wastes. 2) Wastes likely to decompose.

Glass – An inorganic product resulting from fusion that has cooled to a rigid condition without crystallizing. For precision, the term “glass” should not be used alone, as there are numerous glass products, such as glass containers, flat glass and glass tableware.

Glassphalt – Trade name for a highway paving material in which recovered ground glass replaces some of the gravel normally used in asphalt. An alternate spelling is glasphalt.

Grasscycling – The composting of grass clippings on the lawn.

H

HDPE – An acronym for high-density polyethylene plastic.

Household Hazardous Waste – Hazardous waste that is generated from consumer products used in the home, such as cleaning supplies, batteries, pesticides, paints and photography chemicals.

Humus – The organic portion of soil created by the partial decomposition of organic matter. Yard waste composting can create humus.

I

Inorganic – Not composed of once-living material. Minerals are inorganic substances.

Irony Aluminum – Obsolete aluminum scrap, such as lawn chairs, screen doors and automobile part casings, containing a small amount of iron or steel pins, brads, bolts, screws and nuts.

K

Kraft Paper – A comparatively coarse, strong paper made primarily from wood pulp produced by the sulfate process.

L

LDPE – An acronym for low-density polyethylene.

Litter – Solid waste scattered about in a careless manner.

M

MRF – An acronym for materials recovery facility or materials recycling facility.

Materials Recovery Facility or Materials Recycling Facility – 1) A term commonly used for a facility that separates mixed glass and metal containers and processes the materials for sale to end users. 2) A firm that purchases, processes and markets source-separated materials. For instance, under this definition a recovered paper dealer would be a materials recovery facility. The acronym is MRF.

Midnight Dumper – An idiomatic term for an individual or business that disposes of waste in an illegal, stealthy manner.

Mulch – An organic product, produced from the yard waste composting process, for placement on the soil or lawn to improve growing conditions, retain soil moisture and supply minimal levels of nutrients.

N

Natural Resources – The supply of materials, not made by man, that are used for making goods. Also called raw, primary or virgin materials.

O

Organic – Living or once-living material.

P

PE – An acronym for polyethylene plastic.

PET – An acronym for polyethylene terephthalate plastic.

PP – An acronym for polypropylene plastic.

PS – An acronym for polystyrene plastic.

PVC – An acronym for polyvinyl chloride.

Pellet – A small piece of clean extruded plastic.

Pelletizer – A machine that produces chips or granules. Pelletizers are commonly used in plastics processing.

Polyethylene Terephthalate – A lightweight, transparent, rigid polymer resistant to chemicals and moisture, and with good insulating properties. The acronym is PET.

Polyethylenes – A group of resins created by polymerizing ethylene gas. The two major categories are high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

Polypropylene – Any of various thermpoplastic resins that are polymers of propylene. PP is a common acronym.

Polystyrene – A hard, dimensionally stable thermoplastic that is easily molded. PS is a common acronym.

Polyvinyl Chloride – A plastic made by polymerization of vinyl chloride with peroxide catalysts. A common acronym is PVC.

Post-Consumer Waste – A discard generated by a business or residence and that has fulfilled its useful life. Post-consumer waste does not include discards from industrial and manufacturing processes.

Precycling – Making environmentally thoughtful purchasing decisions.

R

Reclaimed Rubber – The reclamation of rubber from scrap tires by grinding, shredding and pulverizing the tire, and exposing the material to a thermo-chemical reaction.

Recyclable – When commonly used, refers to the technical ability of a material to be reused in manufacture. A more precise definition incorporates requirements that a recycling collection, processing and market system be in place and economically functioning in order for a material to be recyclable. Using this definition, many materials are technically capable of being recycled but are not considered recyclable due to the lack of a viable recovery system.

Recycled Content – The percentage of recovered materials incorporated into a product.

Recycling – Commonly, recycling is the use of secondary materials in the production of new items. Recycling by definition often includes materials reuse.

Regrind – Ground-up recyclable plastics.

Rubber-Asphalt – A product that combines ground-up scrap tires and asphalt. It is primarily used in highway, runway and street projects as a stress-absorbing membrane interlayer.

S

Solid Waste – Waste materials produced by residents, businesses, institutions and industry, not including liquids, hazardous wastes and other non-solid materials.

T

TDF – An acronym for tire-derived fuel.

Trash – Solid waste materials, including plant trimmings but not including food waste.

V

Vermicomposting – The use of worms to digest raw or stabilized organic waste.

Vulcanization – The process of treating crude rubber to make it non-plastic and to increase its strength and elasticity. Vulcanization involves the use of sulfur and heat, thereby cross-linking the polymer chain.

W

Waste Reduction – The prevention of waste at its source.

Wood Pulp – The primary material from which most paper and paperboard are made. It consists of small, loose wood fibers mixed with water.

Y

Yard Waste – Leaves, grass clippings and other organic wastes produced as part of yard and garden development and maintenance.