Abstract |
This report examines the experience of the industrial waste information clearinghouses operating since 1972 in ten European countries, explores opportunities for the waste transfer concept in the United States, outlines the requirements for successful transfer organizations, and describes their techniques and procedures. The study analyzes concepts and requirements for transferring wastes, distinguishing between 'trash waste,' having no reuse value whatever, and 'scrap waste,' having some reuse value. It identifies and estimates quantities of industrial process wastes suitable for transfer, especially in the Philadelphia SMSA. It describes the two basic types of transfer organization--clearinghouses, which transfer only information about wastes, and exchanges, which transfer (and process, if necessary) the actual scrap materials from generator to user; for each type, details are given of services, methods, organization, and finances. Appendices contain details about existing clearinghouses and exchanges, data and methods for identifying scrap wastes and their uses, economics of transferring wastes, various institutional options, and liability and other legal considerations. The summary lists next steps needed to develop clearinghouses. |