Characterization of waste materials originating from Quebec supermarkets and an assessment of recycling potential
Authors: | Norrie, Jeffrey; Lafortune, P.; Beauchamp, Chantal Jeanne |
Abstract: | This study evaluated, both qualitatively and quantitatively, waste materials from several major Quebec grocery stores. Averaged over nine sampling dates, cardboard, paper and wood products represented 43 and 74% of waste material, based on weight and volume, respectively while organic matter including fruits, vegetables, baked goods and meat products represented 40 and 10% of waste material based on weight and volume. Plastics, wrapping and bagging materials, represented over 7 and 13% of waste material based on weight and volume, respectively, and other recyclable waste materials such as glass, metal and various miscellaneous objects, represented 4 and 2% of waste material based on weight and volume. On average, 60.6 kg waste/employee per week was generated by the three stores. Store size was not a determining factor in the composition of grocery store waste material. These results suggest that costs associated with supermarket waste disposal may be substantially reduced by source-separation of recyclable and compostable materials while reducing pressure for incineration or landfill. Therefore, the adoption of recycling and source-separation programs, and studies to determine problems and costs associated with the implementation of such programs are recommended. |
Document Type: | Article de recherche |
Issue Date: | 5 June 1998 |
Open Access Date: | Restricted access |
Document version: | VoR |
Permalink: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/7409 |
This document was published in: | Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Vol. 19 (4), 265–277 (1997) https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-3449(96)01192-5 Elsevier |
Alternative version: | 10.1016/S0921-3449(96)01192-5 |
Collection: | Articles publiés dans des revues avec comité de lecture |
Files in this item:
Description | Size | Format | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Waste_supermarkets.pdf | 794.31 kB | Adobe PDF | Request a copy |
All documents in CorpusUL are protected by Copyright Act of Canada.