Recycling Vocabulary
Bale: A compacted and bound cube of recycled material such as paper, scrap metal,
or plastic bottles. It can weigh hundreds of pounds.
Baler: Equipment that compacts and binds recyclable materials to reduce volume
and transportation costs.
Biodegradable: Organic material able to be broken down or decompose
chemically by bacteria under natural conditions and processes.
Bottle Bill: The term for the law that requires deposits on beverage containers.
Carbon Footprint: A tool for measuring the impact of a person, product, or
process on Earth’s climate; it refers to the amount of greenhouse gases released.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Family of inert, nontoxic and easily liquefied
chemicals manufactured for use as coolants, cleaning solvents, plastic, aerosol
propellants and foam insulation.
Commingled: Mixed recyclables that are collected or processed together.
Compactor: Equipment that densifies recyclable material and contains it under
pressure, not allowing it to expand until it is unloaded.
Compost: A rich organic product created by composting. This soil like material
has a high organic content and when added to soil it increases the nutrient value.
Composting: Biodegradation of organic matter, such as yard and food waste, that
creates compost to be used on gardens. Decomposition is performed mostly by
bacteria, but also yeasts and fungi.
Consumption: The process of using natural resources, materials, or finished
products to satisfy human wants or needs.
Decompose: To decay or rot.
Degradability: Ability of materials to break down, by bacterial (biodegradable) or
ultraviolet (photodegradable) action.
Disposable: Designed to be thrown away after use.
Ecological Footprint: The area of Earth’s productive surface that it takes to
produce the goods and services necessary to support a particular lifestyle.
E-Waste: Electronic equipment that is no longer useful or is obsolete, including
computers, and TVs. Many components can be recycled.
Environmental Impact: The effect a particular action or practice has on the
environment and/or its components (land, air, water).
Garbage: Unwanted material that is thrown away.
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): Used to make plastic for milk cartons,
shampoo bottles, dish and laundry detergents bottles, grocery bags, and other
products. It produces toxic fumes when burned. Often referred to as No.2 Plastic.
Hauler: An individual or company that collects and hauls materials (recyclables,
trash) from one place to another.
Hazardous Waste: Waste substances that cause special problems because they are
poisonous, explosive, corrosive, radioactive, harbor disease-causing
microorganisms, or are dangerous for any other reason.
Landfill: A private or municipal site where non-hazardous solid or municipal
waste is buried.
Leaching: Process by which liquid from dissolved materials is carried through the
soil. This liquid may contain chemicals that contaminate the ground or leak into the
water system or surface water.
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE): Used to make bags for dry cleaning,
newspapers, bread, frozen foods, fresh produce and household garbage. It is also
used to make squeezable bottles, container lids, toys and packaging that requires
shrink wrapping. Often referred as No.4 Plastic.
Luxury: A material good or service that is not essential to a person’s life; an
extravagance.
Materials Recovery Facility: A recycling facility that sorts and processes
collected mixed recyclables into individual streams for market.
Methane: A colorless, odorless gas that is produce by decomposition of organic
material. It is commonly produced in a landfill by decomposing waste and can be
collected and burned as fuel.
Midden: A pit in which trash or garbage is buried. Usually only organic garbage.
Municipal Solid Waste: Residential and commercial trash and/or garbage
generated by a particular municipal area.
Necessity: A material good or service that is essential to a person’s life; something
that is required.
Ozone Depletion: Destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer of the earth's
atmosphere due to the release of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, into the
environment.
Paperboard: General term for heavyweight grades of paper that are used for
containers, boxes, cartons and packaging materials.
Plastic: Man-made material made from molecules (polymers) containing
hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. It can be molded, extruded, or cast into various
shapes and film or spun into filaments and made into material, such as carpet,
clothing, etc. It can be classified into seven types; Polyethylene terephthalate,
High-density polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Low-density polyethylene,
Polypropylene, Polystyrene, and other.
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): A type of plastic that is clear or colored
transparent with high gloss. It is used for carbonated beverage bottles, sports drinks,
catsup, salad dressing, peanut butter and jelly jars, microwavable food trays and
some household cleaner containers. Often referred to as No. 1 Plastic.
Polypropylene (PP): Plastic with a smooth surface that cracks easily when bent
and is difficult to scratch. Typical uses are: dairy tubs, bottle lids, jar lids, straws,
deli food containers, syrup bottles, and medicine bottles. It is hard to collect in
marketable quantities for recycling and has limited uses in its recycled form. Often
referred to as No. 5 Plastic.
Polystyrene (PS): Plastic with a smooth surface that cracks easily when bent. Used
for fast food packaging, styrofoam cups, plates, cutlery, coat hangers, building
insulation and packing peanuts. It takes up a large part of landfill space because of
its bulk. Often referred to as No. 6 Plastic.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): Environmentally indestructible plastic that releases
toxic hydrochloric acid when burned. It is used for food wraps, bags for bedding,
medical tubing, siding, window frames, carpet backing, flooring and containers for
personal care products. Often referred to as V-3 or No. 3 Plastic.
Recyclable: Products or materials that can be collected, separated, and processed
and used as raw materials for new products.
Recycling: Process of collecting, separating, processing, marketing, and ultimately
using material, in the form of raw materials or finished goods, that otherwise would
have been thrown away.
Recycling Rate: The mathematical calculation of how successful a recycling
program is. One method is dividing tons diverted from the trash through recycling
and composting by total tons generated (both waste and recycling combined).
Reduce: To lessen the amount of waste generated.
Reprocessing: Operation of reforming reclaimed materials into new products.
Resource Consumption: The process of using natural resources, materials, or
finished products to satisfy human wants or needs.
Reuse: To extend the life of an item by repairing, modifying, or creating new uses
for it, usually in its original form such as using a soft-drink bottle to hold water, or a
coffee can as a container for nuts and bolts.
Single-Stream Recycling: A system in which all recyclable materials –- fiber
(newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, catalogs, magazines and junk mail) and
containers (glass, steel, aluminum and plastic) -– are placed, unsorted, in one
recycling bin and sorted by state-of-the-art processing equipment at a regional
recycling center.
Solid Waste: Non-soluble, discarded solid materials, including sewage sludge,
municipal garbage, industrial waste, agricultural refuse, demolition wastes and
mining residues.
Solid Waste Management: The handling of activities which provide for the
collection, separation, storage, transport, transfer, processing, recycling,
incineration, treatment and disposal of solid waste.
Sustainability: Meeting current needs without limiting the ability of people to
meet their needs in the future.
Waste: Unwanted materials remaining from manufacturing processes, or refuse
from humans and animals that are determined to be of no value and thrown away.
Waste Stream: The flow of waste material from generation to disposal.