Resource recovery

Resource recovery is the selective extraction of disposed materials for a specific next use, such as recycling, composting or energy generation in order to extract the maximum benefits from products, delay the consumption of virgin resources, and reduce the amount of waste generated. Resource recovery differs from the management of waste by using life-cycle analysis (LCA) to offer alternatives to landfill disposal of discarded materials. A number of studies on municipal solid waste (MSW) have indicated that administration, source separation and collection followed by reuse and recycling of the non-organic fraction and energy and compost/fertilizer production of the organic waste fraction via anaerobic digestion to be the favoured alternatives to landfill disposal.