Given at the Presidency of the Republic.—San José, on the nineteenth day of April two thousand thirteen.
METHODOLOGY FOR STUDIES OF THE GENERATION AND COMPOSITION OF ORDINARY SOLID WASTE 1. Introduction. Law No. 8839 of June 24, 2010, "Ley para la Gestión Integral de Residuos", published in La Gaceta No. 135 of July 13, 2010, aims to regulate the integrated management of waste and the efficient use of resources, through the planning and execution of regulatory, operational, financial, administrative, educational, environmental, and healthy monitoring and evaluation actions.
In Article 2 of the aforementioned Law, the objectives thereof are established, specifically subsection g) provides: "Promote the classification, quantification, and characterization of waste, in order to build and maintain an updated national inventory that allows for adequate planning for its integrated management." Said regulatory body, in Article 7, assigns to the Ministry of Health the competence as the governing body on the matter of integrated waste management, with powers of direction, monitoring, evaluation, and control. It assigns, among other functions, the following:
"Article 7.—Governing Body (.)
- b)Issue the regulations, by type of waste, that are necessary for the integrated management of waste.
(.)
- d)Develop the tools and technical regulations that are necessary for the integrated management of waste.
(.)" For its part, Article 8 of Law No. 8839 of June 24, 2010, "Ley para la Gestión Integral de Residuos", grants the Municipalities the responsibility for the integrated management of waste generated in their canton, indicating among their functions:
"Article 8.—Functions of the Municipalities (.)
- a)Establish and apply the municipal plan for the integrated management of waste in accordance with the National Policy and Plan.
- b)Issue the regulations in the canton for the classification, selective collection, and final disposal of waste, which must respond to the objectives of this Law and its Regulation.
(.)
- d)Guarantee that in its territory, the waste collection service is provided in a selective, accessible, periodic, and efficient manner for all inhabitants, as well as material recovery centers, with special emphasis on small and medium scale for subsequent valorization.
(.)
- h)Set the rates for waste management services that include the costs to carry out integrated management thereof, in accordance with the municipal plan for the integrated management of waste, this Law and its Regulation, and in proportion to the quantity and quality of the waste generated, ensuring the strengthening of the infrastructure necessary to provide said services and guaranteeing their self-financing.
(.)" For the purposes of integrated solid waste management, both nationally and locally, it is important to know the generation and composition of the ordinary solid waste produced, making it necessary to have a tool that standardizes the respective studies at the national level and allows the validation of data collection under the same criteria.
2. Objective. The objective of this document is to provide a methodology to execute studies of the generation and composition of ordinary solid waste at the national level.
3. Scope of Application. This methodology will be a support tool for use in the different municipalities of our country.
4. Delimitation of the Methodology. The methodology is limited solely to those solid waste of an ordinary type, according to Law No. 8839 of June 24, 2010, "Ley para la Gestión Integral de Residuos", coming from dwellings (viviendas) and commercial establishments (comercios) that are subject to regular waste collection under the responsibility of the municipality. The following types of solid waste are excluded:
- waste of special handling (residuos de manejo especial), - waste of industrial origin - hazardous waste (residuos peligrosos), - construction waste, - waste from green zones (or gardening waste) - electrical and electronic waste (residuos eléctricos y electrónicos), - waste from road sweeping, - large-volume waste (residuos de grandes volúmenes).
5. Resulting Indicators. The use of the methodology generates the following indicators:
- Daily per capita generation of ordinary solid waste (kg/inhabitant/day), and - Composition of ordinary solid waste (% by weight of the waste components).
6. Definitions and Abbreviations. For the purposes of this document, the following concepts and abbreviations are defined:
Study Area: Canton subject to or part of the canton subject to study.
Commercial Establishment (Comercio): Any generating unit that is not used exclusively as a dwelling. Therefore, any place that has some commercial, educational, institutional, religious, or similar activity will be included.
Waste Composition: It aims to identify, on a mass or volumetric basis, the different components of the waste. Usually, the composition values of ordinary waste are described in terms of mass percentage, and contents such as organic matter, paper and cardboard, plastics, textiles, metals, glass, and other components of interest.
Generation of Ordinary Solid Waste: It refers to the production of ordinary solid waste, which is a variable that depends on the size of the population and its socioeconomic characteristics.
Law: It refers to Law No. 8839 of June 24, 2010, "Ley para la Gestión Integral de Residuos", published in La Gaceta No. 135 of July 13, 2010.
Sample: Waste taken during the study from a generation unit, that is, from a dwelling or a commercial establishment.
Regular Waste Collection: Collection of ordinary solid waste generated in dwellings and commercial establishments, which is the responsibility of the municipality. It can be executed directly by the municipal administration itself, by third parties contracted by the municipality, or by an association of municipalities.
Large-Volume Waste (Residuos de grandes volúmenes): Waste that due to its size cannot be temporarily collected inside a bag, container, or box.
Waste of Special Handling (Residuos de manejo especial): Waste that due to its composition, transportation needs, storage conditions, forms of use or recovery value, or a combination thereof, implies significant health risks and systematic degradation of the ecosystem quality, requiring it to leave the normal stream of ordinary waste.
Electrical and Electronic Waste (Residuos eléctricos y electrónicos): Those wastes derived from electrical and electronic appliances of both domestic and commercial use. Components, subassemblies, and consumables that form part of the product are considered part of this waste.
Ordinary Solid Waste (Residuos sólidos ordinarios) (R.S.O.): Domestic waste generated in dwellings and any other source, presenting compositions similar to those from dwellings. Waste of special handling or hazardous waste, regulated in the Law for the Integrated Management of Waste and its Regulation, is excluded.
Hazardous Waste (Residuos peligrosos): Waste that due to its chemical reactivity and its toxic, explosive, corrosive, radioactive, biological, bioinfectious, and flammable characteristics, or due to its exposure time, may cause damage to health and the environment.
Dwelling (Vivienda): Any premises or enclosure, fixed or mobile, built, converted, or arranged, used for the purpose of housing people, permanently or temporarily.
Green Zones (Zonas Verdes) (or green areas): Free areas, grassed or wooded, for communal public use, intended for recreation.
7. Procedures for Study Execution A. Study Planning and Preliminary Work STEP A1: Create the work team that will apply the methodology and train them.
STEP A2: Define the sampling date. The sampling week must not include holidays.
STEP A3: Identify in the canton area the location of the strata to be sampled, according to the following characteristics:
. High Stratum (Estrato Alto) (EA): Urban-residential zone with dwellings of high socioeconomic stratum, . Medium Stratum (Estrato Medio) (EM): Urban-residential zone with dwellings of medium socioeconomic stratum, . Low Stratum (Estrato Bajo) (EB): Urban-residential zone with dwellings of low or marginal socioeconomic stratum, . Rural Stratum (Estrato Rural) (ER): Rural zone with dwellings, . Commercial Stratum (Estrato comercial) (EC): Commercial zone composed of all commercial establishments in the canton.
A map of the study area must be prepared, identifying the high, medium, low, and rural strata. In the case of the commercial stratum, this will be dispersed throughout the study area.
STEP A4: Indicate the dwelling and commercial establishment sampling zones on the same map. This identification must be linked to the Municipality's collection service routes, whether it performs it under its own administration or by contract, which will define the places where sampling is possible. Therefore, it is necessary to complement this with the maps showing the municipal collection route(s).
For Dwellings:
STEP A5: Estimate the total number of dwellings in the study area (Nviv) and the number of dwellings in the high, medium, low, and rural strata (NEA, NEM, NEB, NER, respectively).
With the values for each stratum, determine the respective percentages to know the distribution of dwellings by stratum. This is obtained by dividing the number of dwellings in each stratum by the total number of dwellings as follows:
STEP A6: Determine the number of dwellings to include in the sampling. Select at least an additional 25% of units to compensate for possible "non-response". The following formula is applied:
where:
nviv = number of dwellings to be included in the sampling Nviv = number of dwellings in the study area Z = 95% confidence coefficient = 1.96 δ = standard deviation = 0.3 kg/inhabitant/day.
E = permissible error = 0.05 kg/inhabitant/day.
STEP A7: Multiply the number of dwellings included in the sample (nviv) by the percentage of dwellings corresponding to each of the established strata ((%vivEX). In this way, the number of dwelling samples to be taken in each of the high, medium, low, and rural strata (nEA, nEM, nEB, nER) is obtained.
STEP A8: Select the dwellings where the sample must be taken in each stratum and locate them on the map.
For Commercial Establishments:
STEP A9: Estimate the total number of commercial establishments in the study area (Ncom). Select at least an additional 25% of units to compensate for possible "non-response". The following formula is applied:
where:
ncom = number of commercial establishments that the sample will include Ncom = number of commercial establishments in the study area Z = 95% confidence coefficient = 1.96 δ = standard deviation = 0.5 kg/inhabitant/day E = permissible error = 0.15 kg/inhabitant/day STEP A10: Select the commercial establishments where the sample must be taken in a distributed manner over the different parts of the canton. If there is a very marked commercial zone (for example, in the center of the canton), priority must be given to this place without neglecting the commercial establishments located in other parts of the canton. Locate the selected commercial establishments on the map. Verify in the field that the commercial establishment chosen for the sample exists and continues to be used commercially.
Once the dwellings and commercial establishments have been selected, proceed with the following steps:
STEP A11: Define the number of times sampling will occur at each selected dwelling or commercial establishment during the week the study lasts. This is linked to the collection routes and how many times per week municipal collection is carried out in the same sector. Thus, if municipal collection passes twice a week through the same sector, the number of times to sample at a single dwelling or commercial establishment is two, and this provides the generation for a complete week from the place to be sampled.
STEP A12: Prepare a form to document relevant information and observations for each of the units to be sampled. One must be prepared for dwellings and another for commercial establishments. The information to be collected with these forms is as follows:
. Identification code of the dwelling or commercial establishment.
. Name of the interviewee.
. Exact address.
. Number of inhabitants (in the case of a dwelling).
. Number of times it receives municipal collection and number of times per week it puts out the waste (the ideal for the study is that they put out the waste the same number of times that municipal collection passes).
. Separation habits at home for recycling or reuse, and burial of organic waste or composting on their property.
. Place where the waste is placed for collection by the municipality (sidewalk in front of the dwelling, basket, in a common deposit for several neighbors, on the sidewalk mixed with those of other neighbors).
STEP A13: Prior to the study, visit the dwellings and commercial establishments participating in the sample to inform them about the objective and importance of the study and record the relevant information contained in the previously prepared forms. Identify the houses and commercial establishments chosen for the sample using a sticker with an identification code for each unit to be sampled (with prior authorization from the owner) that is preferably protected from the rain. This code must be the same one placed on the respective form.
STEP A14: Prepare the logistics necessary for the sampling.
STEP A15: Define and prepare the place where the weighing and separation of the waste will be carried out. This place must be roofed and have a floor that is easy to wash or covered with construction plastic to avoid contamination.
B. Sample Collection. The collection of samples from the identified dwellings and commercial establishments is carried out by collecting all waste containers (bags, boxes, sacks, and bins) placed on the sidewalk in front of the dwellings and commercial establishments selected for the sample and previously informed, before the regular collection truck passes. Therefore, the same collection routes are used so as not to alter the inhabitants' habits.
The sampling must cover a complete week (7 days) to eliminate the possible effects of different days of the week. That is, the waste from each of the selected dwellings or commercial establishments is collected on each of the days that regular collection passes by them during a week. The definition of the number of times collection occurs at a single sampling unit was determined in Step A11.
On each collection day, travel the route before the collection truck and pick up the bags and containers from the selected dwellings and commercial establishments. Identify the bags with an adhesive label specifying the code of the dwelling or commercial establishment, date, and stratum to which it corresponds.
For collection, use a suitable vehicle (for example, a pick-up or non-compacting truck) to transport the waste to the site where the weighing and composition study will continue.
C. Determination of Per Capita Daily Generation of Ordinary Solid Waste (R.S.O.) and Total Daily Generation in the Study Area C1. Per capita daily generation (GCDviv) of R.S.O. in DWELLINGS STEP C1.1: For each sampling day, weigh the total waste according to the corresponding stratum.
STEP C1.2: Divide the total weight of the waste collected in each stratum during the study week by the total number of inhabitants of the dwellings sampled in the same stratum (in which the sample was successfully collected) and enter the number of days of generation they represent (7 days).
Remember that a sample may be composed of as many collections as the number of times municipal collection occurs at that place during the week.
In this way, the per capita daily generation for each of the strata is obtained. Document it in a table like the following:
| Stratum: High | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dwelling Code | Day 1 Weight (kg) | Day 2 Weight (kg) | Total Weight (kg) | No. of Inhabitants | Per capita generation per dwelling | Per capita daily generation (kg/inhab./day) | | A-01 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 0.58 | 0.5 | | A-02 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 0.58 | | | A-03 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 0.43 | | | A-04 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 0.47 | | | Totals | 23 | 26 | 49 | 14 | | | STEP C1.3: Calculate the weighted average per capita daily generation for the study area. This is obtained by multiplying the per capita daily generation value found in each stratum by the percentage of inhabitants for the respective stratum in the study area and then summing the results obtained from the multiplications performed for each stratum.
where:
GCDvivEA = Per capita daily generation High Stratum %habEA = percentage of inhabitants High Stratum GCDvivEM = Per capita daily generation Medium Stratum %habEM = percentage of inhabitants Medium Stratum GCDvivEB = Per capita daily generation Low Stratum %habEB = percentage of inhabitants Low Stratum GCDvivEr = Per capita daily generation Rural Stratum %habEM = percentage of inhabitants Rural Stratum STEP C1.4: Calculate the standard deviation of the per capita daily generation of R.S.O. generated in the dwellings considered in the sampling.
C2. Generation of R.S.O. in COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS STEP C2.1: Weigh the total waste collected during the study week from the commercial establishments selected for the sample.
STEP C2.2: Divide the total weight of the waste collected from the commercial establishments by the number of commercial establishments sampled and by the number of days of generation they represent (7 days).
In this way, the waste generation per commercial establishment per day is obtained for the commercial establishments characterized in the sample. Document it in a table like the following:
| Sample of Commercial Establishments | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Name | Day 1 Weight (Kg) | Day 2 Weight (Kg) | Total Weight (Kg) | Number of Commercial Establishments | Generation per commercial establishment per day (Kg/estab./day) | | Carnicería Xx | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0.47 | | Pulpería XY | 2 | 2 | 3 | | | | Zapatería XZ | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | Pulpería XQ | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | Total | 6 | 7 | 13 | | | STEP C2.3: Multiply the generation per commercial establishment per day by the total number of commercial establishments in the study area (not in the sample) that are part of the regular collection. In this way, the total daily generation of R.S.O. from commercial establishments in the study area is obtained.
STEP C2.4: Divide the total daily generation of R.S.O. from commercial establishments in the study area by the number of inhabitants in the study area (not in the sample).
In this way, a fraction of what is generated per day in the commercial establishments is assigned to each inhabitant of the study area (GCDcom).
STEP C2.5: Calculate the standard deviation of the generation per commercial establishment per day of R.S.O. generated in the commercial establishments consid C3. Total per capita daily generation and total daily generation of R.S.O. in the study area.
STEP C3.1: Sum GCDviv and GCDcom. In this way, the total per capita daily generation of R.S.O. in the study area (GCDtotal) is obtained.
STEP C3.2: Multiply GCDtotal by the total number of inhabitants in the study area. In this way, the total daily generation of R.S.O. in the study area (Gtotal) is obtained.
D. Determination of the Physical Composition of Ordinary Solid Waste D1. Physical composition of the R.S.O. generated in dwellings For each of the strata separately (high, medium, low, and rural), the following steps must be applied:
STEP D1.1: Prepare 10 transparent and resistant plastic bags. The weight of the empty bag must be known.
STEP D1.2: Use the complete R.S.O. sample collected on one day corresponding to the respective stratum. Place the waste in a covered and paved area or on a plastic sheet of sufficient strength and size to prevent direct contact of the waste with the ground.
STEP D1.3: Open the waste bags and pour the contents, forming a mound. Cut the bulkiest waste until achieving a manageable size of approximately 15 cm or less. Homogenize the sample with shovels and remake the mound, forming a square on the surface.
STEP D1.4: Apply the quartering method, which consists of dividing the mound into four equal parts and choosing the two opposite parts to form a new, smaller mound. Remix the two selected parts and divide again into four parts, then choose the two opposite parts and form another smaller sample. Repeat this operation until obtaining a final sample close to 50 kg of waste.
STEP D1.5: Separate the components of the last mound into the prepared bags according to the following categories:
1. Biodegradable (basically organic waste) 2. Paper/Cardboard 3. Plastics 4. Glass 5. Metals 6. Textiles, leather, and rubber 7. Polylaminates (tetra packs) 8. Hazardous waste (residuos peligrosos) 9. Electrical and electronic waste (residuos eléctricos y electrónicos) 10. Other components The application of sub-categories is permitted as long as categories 1 through 10 are maintained.
STEP D1.6: Weigh each of the bags with the waste fractions according to the categorization. Subtract the weight of the empty bag and obtain the value of the waste corresponding to each category.
STEP D1.7: Divide the net weight of each category by the total weight of the sample taken in the quartering (sum of the weight of all separated categories). In this way, the percentage by weight of each category for the corresponding stratum on the specific collection day is obtained. Use the following formula:
STEP D1.8: Repeat the procedure during all the days of the week that the sampling lasts.
STEP D1.9: For each stratum, obtain the average of each of the categories from the results obtained on each sampling day. In this way, the percentage of each category in the R.S.O. generated by the dwellings of each stratum is obtained.
STEP D1.10: Multiply the averages obtained per stratum for each category by the percentage of inhabitants in each stratum and sum these data. In this way, the weighted percentage of each category in the R.S.O. generated in dwellings for the study area is obtained.
Weighted percentage (%) for category i (PPVi) = (%category iEA*%habEA + %category iEM*%habEM + %category iEB*%habEB + %category i*%habER)*100 D2. Physical composition of the R.S.O. generated by commercial establishments Step D2.1: Repeat steps D1.1 through D1.8 with the R.S.O. coming from commercial establishments to obtain the percentage for each component in the R.S.O. generated by commercial establishments.
Step D2.2: Obtain the average of each of the categories from the results obtained on each sampling day. In this way, the percentage (%) of each category in the R.S.O. generated by commercial establishments (PCi) is obtained.
D3. Total physical composition of R.S.O. (or average physical composition of R.S.O.)
Calculate the average percentage of each component weighted by the daily per capita R.S.O. generation from dwellings (GCDviv) and from commercial establishments (GCDcom). In this way, the percentage of each component for all the R.S.O. generated in the study area is obtained.
Weighted Average Percentage (%) for category i = (GCDviv/GCDtotal)* PPVi + (GCDcom/GCDtotal)* PCi E. Presentation of Results. The results of the study must be presented in a report that includes, at a minimum, the following information:
1. Study Dates.
2. Study area: Surface area, number of inhabitants, number of dwellings, number of commercial establishments that are subject to regular collection.
3. Sampling Characteristics: Number of samples in dwellings and commercial establishments.
4. Results:
4.1 Daily per capita generation of ordinary solid waste (kg/inhabitant/day):
- generation of R.S.O. in dwellings, per capita per day, for all dwellings and by stratum, - generation of R.S.O., generated by commercial establishments, per capita per day, - total generation of R.S.O. per capita per day and total generation of R.S.O. per day in the study area, - standard deviation of the generation of R.S.O. in dwellings, per capita per day, and standard deviation of generation of R.S.O., generated by commercial establishments, per capita per day.
4.2 Composition of ordinary solid waste (% by weight of the waste components according to the categories described in Step D 1.5):
- physical composition of R.S.O., generated in dwellings, - physical composition of R.S.O., generated in commercial establishments, - physical composition of total R.S.O.
5. Interpretation of results, observations, important comments, or adaptations made to the methodology with their respective justification.
6. Name and contact information of the person responsible for the study.