People are more intentional about trash disposal these days. And it is no wonder consumers like you would love to know the answer to where does your Kenosha trash go. Kenosha contributes tons of waste and recyclable material each year. Although there are various sustainable options to dispose of trash, some end up in water bodies due to ineffective waste management strategies. In some instances, garbage goes as far as overseas countries. Let us dive in and learn the sustainable destinations of your Kenosha trash.
Where does your Kenosha trash go after it leaves the curb?
Trash production is part and parcel of life—whether at home, work, business, or vocations— and it is crucial to understand basic waste management processes to protect our environment.
Whether it is the Department of Public Works or a private hauler that picks up your curbside and commercial trash, the waste ends up in one of the below areas.
Materials recovery facility (MRF)
Once the garbage trucks empty your gallons of waste at the curbside, they move them to one of the material recovery facilities in Kenosha.
Think of an MRF facility as a temporary trash destination for single-stream residential and commercial trash.
The facility utilizes cutting-edge equipment and human labor to separate garbage and prepare them for recyclers.
A single-stream/clean MRF handles commingled (mostly recyclable materials), while a dual-stream/dirty MRF deals with mixed waste that contains recyclable garbage.
Typically, the trash you toss in your recycling curb bin—that the city picks up every week or on schedule— goes to a clean material recovery facility.
Other waste streams like yard debris, mixed home trash, construction, and demolition garbage go to a dirty MRF.
What happens to your Kenosha trash at an MRF?
The trash goes through sorting to shake the valuable waste from the debris. Material recovery facilities salvage recyclable trash and prepare them for sale.
Some of the trash that the MRF facilities targets to divert from landfilling include paper, plastics, glass, metals, cartons, and other recyclable waste.
Waste-to-Energy facility
Your trash can be an excellent energy source, which means that some of your Kenosha trash goes to the Waste-to-Energy plants.
Data from EIA (Energy Information Administration) shows that the country generated 13.5 billion KW of electric power from combusting municipal solid waste in 2020.
The waste-to-energy plants reduce municipal solid waste by incinerating them to heat water, ultimately generating energy for homes.
In a nutshell, the garbage that goes here is reduced to ash and then taken to landfills. And this means that it reduces the size of landfilling and protects the environment from contamination.
Remember that some waste incineration facilities sort out the garbage to separate recyclable trash first before burning them.
Also, the waste that ends in incinerators is combustible materials like plastics, papers, textiles, yard debris, wood, etc.
Landfills
Kenosha landfills are also options and possible destinations for your residential and commercial trash.
Landfills are designated sites where trash ends up underground to decompose—albeit at a prolonged rate.
It involves creating a pit and layering it with clay and plastic to protect the groundwater contamination.
Additionally, landfills use modern technology to manage the leachate and contaminated rainwater that flows through the waste.
Furthermore, landfills are excellent options to bury toxic garbage.
Composters
The compostable trash you produce like food scraps, papers, and green/yard waste goes to the composting plants. And did you know that you can create your compost at home?
Compost is an excellent way to minimize landfilling and get organic manure for your gardens.
Composting plants use microorganisms to break down organic materials and create valuable products.
TKG Services works hard to be a part of the solution for responsible waste solutions. When you’re ready to rent a dumpster, contact us.