Solid Waste Management
Managing solid waste effectively requires a thorough understanding of the waste, the community or organization producing the waste, and the alternatives available. Franklin Associates offers that understanding to both its public and private clients. Franklin Associates is not involved in the business of solid waste disposal. As a result, our recommendations reflect what is best for your bottom line.
Solid Waste Characterization and Composition
For many years, Franklin Associates has prepared the national characterization of municipal solid waste (MSW) published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Municipal Solid Waste in the United States and widely used by planners.
This 40-year data series on generation and disposal of more than 40 product categories in the MSW stream is invaluable for many types of analysis (view chart). Franklin Associates is the only private consultant with access to this database, which has been enhanced by work for private clients as well as the EPA.
Additionally, we developed baseline estimates of generation and management of used and end-of-life (EOL) electronic products to aid strategic and policy considerations aimed at providing national, regional, or local solutions to this waste management issue for the U.S. EPA in our report Electronics Waste Management in the United States.
In addition to our national MSW characterizations, we have characterized waste streams for many local, regional, and state agencies. We have also characterized other solid waste streams, such as process wastes and construction & demolition debris (C&D) in Characterization of Building-Related Construction and Demolition Debris in the United States for EPA and other clients.
Municipal Solid Waste Projects
When Franklin Associates approaches a local waste management project, we first characterize the composition and current management of the solid waste. After characterizing the waste, we help the municipal or county agency optimize waste handling, first through waste prevention techniques, then by looking at materials recovery and recycling, composting, waste-to-energy, and landfilling alternatives. Our projects include technology and cost assessments, market analyses, environmental and site assessments, and recommendations for implementation.
Additionally, Franklin Associates continues to play a key role in the development and support of EPA's Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator (EEBC). This web-based calculator estimates the economic and environmental benefits associated with making greener choices when purchasing, using and disposing of electronics. Franklin Associates led data gathering efforts for data assumptions in the EEBC web version worksheet along with performing some web-based tasks.
Other Recovered Materials Markets
In addition to recycling markets for recovered paper, we offer experience in market analysis for containers (aluminum, glass, steel, and plastics), compost, and other products typically found in the MSW stream. We also have analyzed markets for "problem" materials (e.g., tires) in the waste stream.
Industrial Waste Projects
Franklin Associates characterizes the quantities and composition of industrial process wastes and evaluates current and projected management alternatives. We can also help to identify markets for unusual materials in the waste stream.