Determination of Residual Municipal Solid Waste Composition from Rural and Urban Areas: A Step toward the Optimization of a Waste Management System for Efficient Material Recovery

Residual municipal solid waste (RMSW) is a rapidly expanding problem worldwide and a good waste management system could reduce concerns about its correct treatment. The purpose of this study was to characterize RMSW from urban and rural areas with the ultimate goal of estimating the recycling potential of the identified fractions and implementing waste collection and recovery methods according to the type of area that generates them. A direct sampling campaign of RMSW was performed. The results showed that the highest organic waste rate was found in the rural area (11.9%); urban-area-produced RMSW mainly constituted recyclable fractions such as plastic (26.3%), paper (21.8%), glass (3.5%) and metals (3.3%). The physical-chemical characteristics of RMSW showed levels of heavy metals below the detection threshold. The conditions necessary for composting could be met only for the organic fraction coming from rural areas as demonstrated by a pH value of 6.9 and a moisture content of 46.5%. These data will be extended to all the urban and rural areas to design appropriate disposal and/or recovery plants with profitable economic interventions that will lead to a reduction in costs in the planning of the integrated solid waste management.