Final answer:
Municipal solid waste can be divided into several main categories: biodegradable waste, recyclable materials, inert waste, composite wastes, and biomedical waste.
Step-by-step explanation:
Municipal solid waste can be divided into several main categories:
- Biodegradable waste: This includes food and kitchen waste, green waste, and paper (most of which can be recycled).
- Recyclable materials: This category includes paper, cardboard, glass, bottles, jars, tin cans, aluminum cans, metals, certain plastics, textiles, clothing, tires, and batteries.
- Inert waste: This consists of construction and demolition waste, dirt, rocks, and debris.
- Composite wastes: This includes waste clothing, Tetra Pack food and drink cartons, waste plastics, hazardous waste (such as paints, chemicals, tires, batteries, light bulbs, electrical appliances, and fluorescent lamps), and toxic waste (including pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides).
- Biomedical waste: This refers to waste from healthcare facilities, such as expired pharmaceutical drugs.
It's important to note that not all categories are accepted by all local recycling authorities, so it's essential to be informed about which types of waste should be placed in recycling containers and which should be combined with ordinary trash.