GENERATION AND VARIABILITY OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE IN COMMUNITIES OF MEDIUM SIZE

This paper proposes a methodology for the evaluation of two basic parameters in the analysis and design of equipment in household waste management systems: the waste generation rate and its variability, characterized by peak generation factors. To effectively analyze the behavior of the population,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Munizaga, Juan Antonio, Lobo García de Cortazar, Amaya
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO
Repositorio:Revista Internacional de Contaminación Ambiental
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/43519
Acceso en línea:https://www.revistascca.unam.mx/rica/index.php/rica/article/view/43519
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:household waste
population
generation rate
peak factor
separate collection
residuos domésticos
población
tasa de generación
factor punta
recogida selectiva
Descripción
Sumario:This paper proposes a methodology for the evaluation of two basic parameters in the analysis and design of equipment in household waste management systems: the waste generation rate and its variability, characterized by peak generation factors. To effectively analyze the behavior of the population, it is proposed to calculate the per capita generation rate based on the total population responsible for generating waste (the long-term residents as well as seasonal population) in the municipality. Peak generation factors relate maximum and minimum values, during a given period of time (day, week, and month) with its equivalent average generation. To calculate them the extreme values must be excluded and the moving intervals throughout the year considered. With this methodology, the generation of household waste in 11 municipalities in a Spanish region from 2006-2009 was studied, considering the selectively collected (light packaging, paper/cardboard and glass) as well as the fraction of mixed waste. In the group of municipalities, a per capita generation rate of 403 kg/capita/year and the peak and minimum monthly generation factors of 1.22 and 0.86 were obtained for the global waste streams considered in the study. The importance of the seasonal population on the household waste management system of a municipality is highlighted in the results. This shows that neither the per capita generation rate, nor the peak generation factors, correlate directly with the size of long-term resident population. These findings highlight the impact of the seasonal population (e.g. tourism) in environmental management systems. Nevertheless, the cost is passed, almost always onto the long-term resident population of the municipality.