Skip to content
English
Sign in
Go to superfy.com
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

General Residual Waste Density Calculation

General Residual Waste, also known as Municipal Solid Waste, is the term for waste destined for disposal at a landfill or incinerator. This article explains how the density of General residual waste is calculated within the Superfy platform.

The Superfy platform includes a set of 10 standardised common waste categories, each accompanied by standardised density values.

The density value for General Residual Waste provided on the Superfy platform is dervied from research conducted by the Irish division of the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and serves as an estimated guideline. This information is valuable for estimating and reporting general waste weight, particularly in situations where waste measurement tools or data are not accessible. 

While customers can input their own waste density, the provided estimate can be used when data is unavailable. Additionally, the platform allows for the addition of unlimited custom waste types.

According to the report by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) titled, National Waste Statistics: Guidance for estimating quantity of waste generated on-site and the Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors report by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, general residual waste, also known as municipal solid waste, is the term for waste destined for disposal at a landfill or incinerator. This consists of everyday items including paper, containers, clothing, furniture, appliances and many more.

The below table from the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides the typical weight when full for General Residual Waste for different bin sizes.

To calculate the density for General Residual Waste, we utilised the density formula detailed below. This method considers all bin sizes and weights highlighted in the above table, enabling us to derive an average density for this waste type.

 

Density for 240L bin: 30/240 = 0.125 kg/L
Density for 140L bin: 20/140 = 0.142 kg/L
Density for 80L bin: 18/80 = 0.225 kg/L

Average Density: (0.125 + 0.142 + 0.225) / 3 ≈ 0.164 kg/L, which we rounded up to 0.16kg/L

    According to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, the estimated weight of Residual Waste ranges between 150-300 lbs per cubic yard (cy), with an average of 225 lbs/cy. For consistency, we chose to use the higher value of 300 lbs/cy, which converts to 0.17798 kg/L, rounding to 0.18 kg/L. This is very close to the figure of 0.16 kg/L provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Therefore, for consistency across the platform, we decided to adopt the 0.16 kg/L figure.

    The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services explains how Residual Waste does not include construction and demolition debris, automobile scrap, infectious waste, asbestos waste, contaminated soil, ash or waste from industrial processes.

    The table below presents the density values for General Residual Waste across the various metrics available on the Superfy platform.

    A European Waste Catalogue (EWC) Code is a six-digit code used to identify waste as listed in the European Waste Catalogue. It is formatted as three pairs of numbers, for example 12 34 56. It identifies and classifies waste into categories according to how these wastes have been produced. It adequately describes the waste being transported, handled or treated. It can also be referred as a LoW Code (List of Waste Code). 

    The European Waste Catalogue (EWC) Code 20 refers to Municipal Wastes, including household, industrial and institutional wastes.

    Note:

    According to The European Waste Catalogue (EWC), General Residual Waste, Mixed Dry Recyclables Waste and Mixed General Waste (Compacted) are incorporated under Code 20.