Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) training

This course will present information on waste collection ergonomics related to worker safety, injury rates and key factors leading to injuries. The benefits of applying this occupational science is discussed as well as guidance on relevant methodologies and tools to support ergonomics assessment. Finally, a summary of the EREF-funded study “Ergonomics of Solid Waste Collection,” which was conducted at the University of Central Florida, will be provided.

This course will provide an introduction to waste collection, including a history of waste collection vehicles and types of solid waste collection. It will also discuss waste collection management, ergonomics and environmental impacts of solid waste collection.

Coal accounts for more than a third of electricity generation in the U.S., resulting in over 130 million short tons of coal combustion residuals (CCR) annually. This makes coal ash one of the largest waste streams in the U.S. To put this in perspective, the tonnage of coal ash alone is equivalent to roughly half the total tonnage of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in the U.S. annually.

This course focuses on modeling of hydrogen sulfide generation from processed construction and demolition materials in landfills.  Upon completion of this course, the attendee will be able to:

This course discusses the team approach utilized to resolve environmental, operational and regulatory issues involving complex subsurface aluminum dross reactions at a landfill. An overview of these issues is presented along with a firsthand account of the approach taken to resolve them by principal actors who were involved in the process.

The purpose of this introductory course on landfill economics is to provide an overview of the major principles associated with full cost accounting. The course addresses the basic components of landfill costs, including site development, permitting, labor, equipment, and materials, and other items such as capital expenditures, accruals, and depreciation. The course also addresses accounting approaches, landfill revenue generation and the major factors influencing landfill economics.

The major biodegradable components of municipal solid waste include paper, food waste and yard waste. All of these materials contain cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, with cellulose and hemicellulose responsible for most of the methane produced in landfills. When these wastes are buried in landfills, a complex series of chemical and biological reactions is initiated. The end products of anaerobic biological decomposition in landfills are methane and carbon dioxide. This course will describe the microbial decomposition process in a landfill and relate it to gas production and leachate quality. This foundation will then be used to describe the LandGEM model and ways in which it can be adjusted to consider the effects of waste composition and gas collection efficiency.

Stormwater is a leading source of water pollution and consequently, EPA has set effluent standards under the national pollution discharge elimination system (NPDES).  Stormwater discharges from solid waste facilities must be permitted because their operations are subject to the discharge requirements for industrial facilities.  They must also comply with construction site requirements during facility development.