It may sound funny, but all garbage is not created equally. Waste from industrial centers is very different from the waste generated on farms. Urban apartment garbage bears little resemblance to the household waste from suburbs. First, investigators calculate how much of the waste from many different samples falls into basic categories, such as glass, plastics, metals, paper, and food waste. They can then predict the BTU value of the garbage, the volume of recyclable material, and how much of the waste is biodegradable.
Scientists also evaluate the effectiveness of different disposal techniques.
If you add up the amount of food, yard, and paper waste generated by a typical American family, landfills appear an ideal option. Unfortunately, little oxygen or water exists inside a landfill to help the decomposition process. Scientists have found that even after 50 years, much waste in landfills is still quite fresh. By monitoring decomposition rates and end products from other disposal techniques, they can create disposal systems that are safe, efficient, and economically viable. Excess packaging is one reason we have so much solid waste in the United States.