- Storage at the source (Almacenamiento en la fuente): Collection of solid waste, immediate to its generation.
- Intermediate storage (Almacenamiento intermedio): Collection of solid waste subsequent to primary storage and prior to its final disposal.
- Trash (Basura): Solid waste with no use value. This term is equivalent to non-recoverable solid waste (desecho sólido no aprovechable).
- Collection centers (Centros de acopio): Places for the storage, classification, or packaging of recoverable waste (desechos aprovechables), under hygienic conditions that do not endanger human, animal, or plant health, or contaminate the environment. They must have sanitary infrastructure that allows employees to maintain commonly accepted standards of personal hygiene and occupational health.
- Compost: Organic fertilizer produced through thermophilic aerobic biodegradation from biodegradable organic materials.
- Biotechnologically recoverable waste (Desechos aprovechables biotecnologicamente): Biodegradable waste that can be used in the production of organic fertilizer, compost, bocaccio, or other reusable products, complying with nationally established standards and those of this regulation.
- Paper, cardboard, or fabric waste (Desechos de papel, cartón o telas): Objects made from natural fibers with potential to be reused in the manufacture of paper or cardboard.
- Hazardous biological and non-biological waste (Desechos biológicos y no biológicos peligrosos): Those that can cause puncture/cut injuries, infections, poisoning, large-scale environmental contamination, food in an advanced state of decomposition, highly flammable material or material impregnated with hydrocarbons, with heavy metals or toxics, waste from transgenic organisms, and trash containing organic waste that has been inadequately stored for more than fifteen calendar days. Other types of high-hazard waste are: waste that can transmit infectious diseases, diseases and epidemics, hospital waste contaminated with diseased human tissues, remains of human tissues, decomposed food carrying botulism or similar diseases, grains contaminated with aflatoxins, high-potency poisons or those with high environmental persistence, radioactive waste, veterinary clinic waste that can cause infections in animals or people.
- Solid waste (Desecho sólido): Any object or material in a solid state or of pasty consistency, excluding animal or human excreta and sludge from wastewater treatment plants, biodigesters, and septic tanks, whose owner no longer wishes to possess, regardless of whether or not it has use value.
- Recoverable solid waste (Desecho sólido aprovechable): Solid waste that can be reincorporated into nature in a reasonable period of time, or be reused by society, without harm to human health or the environment, such as biodegradable waste, paper and cardboard waste, glass waste, metallic waste, some plastic waste, and others.
- Separated recoverable solid waste (Desecho sólido aprovechable separado): Recoverable solid waste that is previously separated into different packages or containers. This task is performed at the source or at the collection center. It includes various materials that are recoverable such as: glass, paper, cardboard, plastics, aluminum cans, biodegradable waste.
- Recalcitrant biodegradable solid waste (Desechos sólidos biodegradables recalcitrantes): Solid waste that, subjected to biotechnological processes, can be biodegraded in a period of no less than 6 months.
- Biodegradable solid waste (Desechos sólidos biodegradable): Solid waste that, subjected to biotechnological processes, can be biodegraded in a period of less than 6 months.
- Commercial solid waste (Desecho sólido comercial): Solid waste generated in commercial and mercantile establishments.
- Daily solid waste (Desecho sólido cotidiano): The commercial, household, and industrial waste routinely collected by the collection service. Non-daily waste, hazardous waste, and bio-infectious waste are excluded from this category.
- Household solid waste (Desecho sólido domiciliar): Solid waste generated in homes as a product of daily family activities.
- Hospital solid waste (Desechos sólidos hospitalarios): Solid waste generated in hospitals, medical offices, dental offices, microbiological analysis laboratories, veterinary clinics and offices.
- Industrial solid waste (Desecho sólido industrial): Solid waste generated as a result of industrial and manufacturing processes.
- Institutional solid waste (Desecho sólido institucional): Solid waste generated in public or private institutions, excluding hospitals and airport terminals.
- Non-daily solid waste (Desechos sólidos no-cotidianos): Household, commercial, and industrial solid waste that is not generated on a daily basis or that, due to its size or weight, clearly exceeds typical family solid waste.
This category includes non-traditional household trash and solid waste from green areas or gardens of urban properties in the canton. Non-daily waste, hazardous waste, and bio-infectious waste are excluded from this category.
- Primary delivery of solid waste (Entrega primaria de desechos sólidos): Action by which the waste generator, after prior separation and storage, places the solid waste properly packaged so that the waste collection can be carried out without difficulty.
- Delivery of waste (Entrega de desechos): This delivery refers to the act of delivering waste at the composting plant, the collection center, or the technical deposit.
- Estañón: Equivalent to 220 cubic decimeters.
- Solid waste reduction (Reducción de desechos sólidos): Measures aimed at avoiding and reducing the generation of solid waste; these can be taken from the design stage of goods, whether by avoiding the incorporation of dispensable parts, using materials and systems that provide a longer useful life, or facilitating the reuse and recycling of the product or its parts.
- Fermentation of biodegradable waste (Fermentación de desechos biodegradables): This is the designation given to the process of biodegradation in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic) with optional capture of biogas and its incineration. During the process, it is not permitted for foul odors to cause nuisance to people or for a proliferation of insects or other plagues to originate. The products of biodegradation must be harmless to plants and biologically stabilized.
- Solid waste generators (Generadores de desechos sólidos): Any natural or legal person that generates any type of solid waste.
- Solid waste management (Gestión de desechos sólidos): Set of measures at the family, institutional, or industrial level to avoid, store, collect, and recover solid waste with the aim of minimizing waste generation, maximizing its recovery, reducing management costs, minimizing the amount of trash, and avoiding nuisance and damage to the well-being of people or the environment.
- The Municipality (La Municipalidad): The Municipality of Vázquez de Coronado.
- Discriminatory waste management (Manejo discriminado de desechos): Set of actions aimed at collecting, storing, and treating solid waste classified according to its physical and chemical nature and according to the convenience for its commercialization or industrialization.
- Composting plant (Planta de compostaje): Installation that allows the conversion of biodegradable waste into compost, bocaccio, or other products.
- Solid waste collection (Recolección de desechos sólidos): Solid waste transportation service between primary or intermediate storage and composting plants or collection centers or recovery, treatment, or final disposal industries for non-recoverable solid waste in technical deposits.
- Complete separation of solid waste (Separación completa de desechos sólidos): Action of properly separating and packaging traditional solid waste into its main recoverable components, namely: paper, glass, plastic, cardboard, aluminum cans, biodegradable waste, non-recoverable waste or trash, and others that technology makes possible to recover in the future.
- Complete separation of solid waste at the source (Separación completa de desechos sólidos en la fuente): Action of properly separating and packaging traditional solid waste into its main recoverable components: paper, cardboard and derivatives, glass, plastics, aluminum cans, biodegradable waste, non-recoverable waste or trash, and others that technology makes possible to recover in the future. This action is carried out by the waste generator.
- Primary separation of waste (Separación primaria de desechos): Action of properly separating and packaging waste at the generating source into its main recoverable components, namely: paper, cardboard and derivatives, glass, plastics, aluminum cans, biodegradable waste, non-recoverable waste or trash, and others that technology makes possible to recover in the future.