Glossary

Ashfill
Ash burial site; after the waste is burned, ash remains - it is just 10% of the original volume.

Assessment Fee
An additional charge to owner-communities, primarily for the debt incurred from building the facility; it is based on a 5-year rolling average of tonnage.

Carbon Injection
Injecting carbon (powder) into the system at the waste-to-energy plant greatly reduces mercury and other emissions.

CEMS
Continuous Emissions Monitoring System.

Electrostatic Precipitator
Equipment that is part of the emissions cleaning system for the waste-to-energy plant; by creating a positive charge in the emissions, particulates cling to a negatively charged curtain that recovers them.

EMS
Environmental Management System

E-Waste
Electronic Waste (computers, TVs, etc.)

FEPR
Front End Processing; collected trash is shredded prior to disposal/burning.

Hazardous Waste
By-products of society that can pose a substantial or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly managed. Possesses at least one of four characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity), or appears on special EPA lists.

Household Hazardous Waste
Hazardous products used and disposed of by residential as opposed to industrial consumers. Includes paints, stains, varnishes, solvents, pesticides, and other materials or products containing volatile chemicals that can catch fire, react or explode, or that are corrosive or toxic.

Household Waste (Domestic Waste)
Solid waste, composed of garbage and rubbish, which normally originates in a private home or apartment house. Domestic waste may contain a significant amount of toxic or hazardous waste.

ISO 14001
International Standard of Operations certificate for excellence in environmental management.

Landfill
Buried waste; permanent storage of untreated waste.

Leachate
Run-off from trash or ash; leachate must be treated before leaving the site.

Lime Slurry
Lime powder and water mixture

MSW
Municipal Solid Waste; household trash (never to include hazardous waste, agricultural waste, septic tank sludge, or sludge from air or water pollution control facilities.

Municipal Solid Waste
Household waste (see MSW).

MWC
Municipal Waste Combustor

OCC
Old Corrugated Cardboard

PM
Particulate Matter

Recyclable
Materials that can be re-sold; which materials are acceptable and the price are determined by the free market.

Residue
By-products of the processed waste that are not themselves hazardous, such as ash, process rejects, and over-sized and bulky waste.

Scale House
Where trucks are weighed upon entering and leaving the RWS and recycling facilities; the net weight determines costs/sales.

Silver Bullet
Name given to the long, silver recycling containers parked in public places; these are owned by ecomaine.

Single (Double) Stream
Refers to the number of categories into which recyclables need to be separated. The fewer categories, the more likely people will recycle.

Street Sweepings
Municipal waste from cleaning the streets (usually sand, soil, natural materials).

Tipping Fees
Fees charged to haulers to unload trash (unrecyclable items); fees are per ton; determined by the free market and/or by contract with ecomaine.

Tipping Hall
Garage area where trash is unloaded and, then, pushed into the temporary storage area.

Tire Chips
Waste tires which have been cut into small pieces for greater compaction and/or other uses.

Universal Waste
Common hazardous waste materials that need special handling, such as e-waste or items containing mercury.

WTE
Waste-To-Energy facility; processing waste to create energy (electricity).