Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

We are introducing this page to assist those of us who are totally confused by the mass of jargon, abbreviations, scientific terms and unfamiliar descriptions contained in much of the information dealing with the waste industry and the proliferation of associated discussion documents issued by a variety of organisations and authorities.

It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide rather a starter for you to pursue your own research. When you have clarified a topic you may well find a web address on our ‘LINKS’ page or you could enter the title or phrase of interest onto your web browser to find a host of further information.

For example, typing ‘recycle’ in the GOOGLE browser at the time of writing, resulted in a list of 2,470,000 ‘finds’.

We do this with the best of intentions but direct you to the disclaimer contained on the ‘About Us’ page of this website. Please feel free to make comment, suggest contributions for possible inclusion and to indicate any errors you may observe, by contacting GAIN. We would like to hear from you.

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Aerate	Expose to the air
Aerobic	Use oxygen
Anaerobic Digestion	Biodegrading of organic waste in an oxygen-free atmosphere
AONB	Area of outstanding natural beauty
Autoclaving	This treatment involves sealing the waste and treating it with steam at 140-160oC in an autoclave. After the steam has been injected the pressure is maintained for 30-40 minutes. This sterilises the waste. When the treatment is complete the residue is discharged and subject to screening. Fine material is then separated from the larger material such as metal and plastic. The fine fraction is then further separated into a lighter material (organic fibre) from heavier material (glass and grit). The metals and plastics may be sent for recycling. Some of the wastes can be recovered for aggregate material – such as the glass and grit. The organic fraction could have a number of uses depending on the quality of the material and the markets available. It may be suitable for land-spreading, making into a fibre to be used in the construction industry, or made into refuse derived fuel. There will be some residue from the whole process that will be sent to landfill. There are currently two companies proposing this technology in the UK – Sterecycle and Estech Europe Ltd.

Bottom Ash	The ash, which falls through the grate system in the furnace of an incinerator.
BPEO	Best Practicable Environment Option - the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solution
Biodegradable	Can be broken down by a natural process of decomposition by bacteria and other micro-organisms
BMW	Biodegradable Municipal Waste - the portion of Municipal Solid Waste which can be broken down by bacteria and other micro-organisms

CFCs	CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS - Family of inert, non-toxic and easily liquified chemicals manufactured for use as coolants, cleaning solvents, plastic, aerosol propellants and foam insulation
Composting	The break down of waste by micro-organisms

DEFRA	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Dioxin	Chlorinated organic compound: a by-product of the papermaking process that uses chlorine as a bleaching agent. Dioxins can be released into the atmosphere through the incineration of chlorinated paper. They are believed to be highly toxic to humans

EA	Environment Agency
EfW	Energy from Waste - energy that is recovered by burning or otherwise treating waste

GAIN	Guildford Anti-Incinerator Network
Gasification	Waste is burnt in a reactor at high temperature to recover energy
GBC	Guildford Borough Council
GBC Lead on Environment	Jenny Wicks
GOSE	Government Office of the South East
Green Waste	Organic waste from the garden and vegetable waste, tea leaves, coffee grounds and egg shells

Incinerator	Device used to destroy precious resources and suspected by many learned authorities of creating serious health hazards.
Inert Waste	Waste that is not active – it does not decompose or otherwise change
In-vessel Composting	Enclosed composting automated and enclosed.

Landfill	Disposal of waste by burying under the ground
Leachate	Liquid from a landfill site containing chemical components of the buried waste

MBT	Mechanical Biological Treatment – a mix of sorting, separation, cutting or grinding the waste into smaller pieces then composting.
MRF	Materials Reclamation Facility - plant where materials are separated, baled and sent for recycling
MSW	Municipal Solid Waste - solid waste that is collected by or on behalf of a Local Authority

ODPM	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
‘Option H’	The healthy waste management option favoured by GAIN that rejects incineration and dangerous mixed waste landfill (SEE HERE)
Organic waste	Biodegradable refuse

PET	POLYETHYLENE TERAPHTHALATE - A type of plastic that is clear or coloured transparent with high gloss. It is used for carbonated beverage bottles and some household cleanser containers. Often referred to as No. 1 Plastic.
PP	POLYPROPILENE - Plastic with a smooth surface that cracks easily when bent and is difficult to scratch. Typical uses are: battery cases, dairy tubs, jar lids, straws and syrup bottles. It is hard to collect in marketable quantities for recycling and has limited uses in its recycled form. Often referred to as No. 5 Plastic.
PS	POLYSTYRENE - Plastic with a smooth surface that cracks easily when bent. Used for fast food packaging, styrofoam cups and packing peanuts, it takes up a large part of landfill space because of its bulk. Often referred to as No. 6 Plastic.
PVC	POLYVINYL CHLORIDE - Environmentally indestructible plastic that releases toxic hydrochloric acid when burned. It is used for food wraps and containers for personal care products. Often referred to as V-3 or No. 3 Plastic.
Pyrolysis	Decomposition of waste at high temperature in an oxygen-free atmosphere

RDF	Refuse-derived fuel - fuel produced from MSW that has undergone processing. Processing can include separation of recyclables and non-combustible materials, shredding, size reduction, and palletising.
Regional Waste Management Strategy	See ‘Waste Plans’
RWE	German parent company of Thames Waste Management

SCC	Surrey County Council
SCC Environment Portfolio	Dr Lynne Hack
SEEDA	South East England Development Agency
SEERA	South East England Regional Assembly
SLGA	Surrey Local Government Association
SITA	French parent company of SWM
SSSI	Site of special scientific interest
Sustainable	A way of life, behaviour or practice that can be maintained indefinitely. That is without exhausting finite resources.
Sustainable Development	Development that can be maintained in the long term, without consuming or destroying resources
SWM	Surrey Waste Management

TWM	Thames Waste Management
Thermal treatment	Treatment by heat - in terms of waste, this includes incineration, pyrolysis and gasification

Waste	A precious resource to be reused and recycled
Waste hierarchy	Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - the order in which we should try to deal with waste before disposal
Waste minimisation	Reduction of waste to be disposed
WEEE	Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
WHO	World Health Organisation
Windrow Composting	Composting in the open air.
WRAP	Waste Resource Action Programme