Glossary
Back-filling
Recovery operation where suitable nonhazardous waste is used for purposes of reclamation in excavated areas or for engineering purposes in landscaping. Bottom ash non-combustible residue of combustion in a furnace or incinerator.
Bottom ash treatment
Series of processes intended to extract valuable materials from the incineration bottom ash residue.
Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP)
Annex communication by the European Commission in which the steps towards the achievement of a European Circular Economy dynamic are laid down.
Co-mingled collection
Waste collection of different materials altogether i.e. comingled collection of dry recyclables involving plastics and metals.
Dry recyclables
Paper, plastic, metal, glass, wood
Eddy current technique
Separation method for removing non-ferrous metals from a diverse stream of waste materials.
Essential Requirements of Packaging
A set of criteria for packaging put on the market, related to the manufacturing and composition of packaging, to the reusable and recyclable nature of packaging and to hazardous materials to be minimised in packaging.
European Green Deal
A set of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Fraction
A group of waste according to its properties.
Impurities/steriles
Foreign elements to the monomaterial flow targeted.
Incineration
Process involving the incineration of household and similar waste for energy.
Landfill
Waste management strategy based on waste disposal in an area specially intended to do so.
Landfill Directive
European Union directive that regulates waste management of landfills.
Magnetic separation
Separation process in which a magnet is used to extract ferrous elements out of a waste flow. They are then separately stored.
Mechanical-Biological Treatment
Type of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion.
Moisture
Amount of water present in a certain sample.
Measured in %.
Mono waste stream
A waste stream of only one material (e.g., steel packaging) or group of materials (e.g., metal packaging).
Mono-material flow
Result of the sorting operations in which the different waste materials collected commingled are separated. The flows can be of paper and cardboard, plastics, steel, beverage cartons.
Multi-layer packaging
Packaging consisting of two or more materials forming one packaging structure.
Municipal waste
Waste from households and waste from other sources, such as retail, administration, education, health services, accommodation and food services, and other services and activities, which is similar in nature and composition to waste from households.
Overband magnet
Separation technique using a magnet to attract magnetic materials.
Permanent material
Permanent materials such as steel, glass and aluminium are classified as materials that once produced can be recycled or reused without the loss of quality, regardless of how often the material is recycled.
Reporting
Communication of data arising from monitoring of a process to a national/local authority.
Residual waste flows
Remnant waste fraction once the dry recyclables have been taken out.
Scrap
Discarded waste material.
Separate collection
Waste is picked up by the waste collection company in different streams; often dry recyclables on one stream and residual waste in another.
Shredding
To tear apart (also used in bottom ash treatment).
Source separation
Process by which waste is separated into different elements. It occurs when the waste is generated (i.e. when the item is no longer useable and it is discarded).
Steel bundle
Compressed packaging steel scrap format for transport and storing, in which steel packaging scrap is processed with the help of a baling press that applies pressure on the materials to give them a particular shape (usually squared).
Steelworks
Steel making industry.
Trommel
A screen curved into a cylinder in order to sort through the material put into it.
Urban mining
A process via which discarded raw materials are recuperated from a city or an environment.
Waste Framework Directive
DIRECTIVE 2008/98/ EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives .