Household Solid Waste: Traits and Disposal Site Selection

Abstract

Practically every urban area in the world, regardless of size, development, and economic status, is faced with the problem of generated daily solid waste and its disposal. This paper reports on the findings of a research project aimed at the quantification of generated household solid waste and selection of sites for waste transfer stations in the Fairbanks North Star Borough (Borough), Alaska. The quantity of solid waste was determined via a mail questionnaire survey of a random sample of 2,000 households residing in the Borough. The three transfer station sites were chosen from a list of five (as proposed by the Borough), based on the household's stated preference. A comparison between the reported quantity of generated solid waste and that collected by the Borough's contractors pointed to a surprisingly accurate result.