Post-consumer waste

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Post-consumer waste is a waste type produced by the end consumer of a material stream; that is, where the waste-producing use did not involve the production of another product.

Quite commonly, it is simply the garbage that individuals routinely discard, either in a waste receptacle or a dump, or by littering, incinerating, pouring down the drain, or washing into the gutter.

Post-consumer waste is distinguished from pre-consumer waste, which is the reintroduction of manufacturing scrap (such as trimmings from paper production, defective aluminum cans, etc.) back into the manufacturing process. Pre-consumer waste is commonly used in manufacturing industries, and is often not considered recycling in the traditional sense.

Types of post-consumer waste

It consists of:

• packaging
• parts that are not needed, such as fruit skins, bones in meat, etc.
• undesired things received, e.g.:
  • advertising material in the mailbox
  • a flyer received in the street without having the opportunity to refuse
  • dust, weeds, fallen leaves, etc.
• things one no longer needs, e.g. a magazine that has been read, things replaced by new versions, clothes out of fashion, remaining food that one cannot keep or does not want to keep
• broken things, things no longer working, spoiled food, worn-out clothes, clothes which no longer fit
• outgrown items toys, clothing, books, schoolwork
• disposables such as Kleenex and finished batteries
• human waste, waste of pets, waste water from various forms of cleaning
• "post-life waste"
  • One's body or ashes
  • Things people do not want and cannot sell
  • Broken/unused cars

Waste and the problem of disposing it has been an issue for thousands of years. This is not changed much. Even though we are living in the 21st century waste is still a problem. It is especially a problem for the United States. As our population increases the amount of waste we create does also. It seems that everything we buy is packaged and creates more waste. From the food we buy, to a new television, waste creating packaging is used. According to the EPA the average American produces about 29 pounds of trash per week. This equates to 1600 pounds of waste a year per person. This is a serious problem. Our landfills are quickly filling up. Landfills are basically just a big hole in the ground that is filled with waste. Once one is full it must be closed. Many cities are filling up their landfills much faster than they had anticipated. While this is happening we are having a problem finding new locations for landfills. No one wants to live with that waste near their home. We are constantly seeking solutions to this problem. Many Americans have adopted the method of reducing, reusing, and recycling. However this just is not enough. We are basically facing a waste crisis in the United States. We need to find better solutions than the ones we already have in place. Americans need to wake up and realize how large a problem this is. We need to collectively get together and work on this issue. If we do not work on the issue of waste it will be detrimental to our future. -By Mturk worker-

Legal issues

In many countries, such as the United States, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in post-consumer waste once it leaves the consumer's home. Anyone can search it, including the police, and any incriminating evidence recovered can be used at trial. This doctrine was established in The California v. Greenwood case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no common law expectation of privacy for discarded materials. This has since led people to argue the legality of taking post consumer waste for salvage value.^[1]

See also

• Retail hazardous waste

References