A Community Solid Waste Program 399
Who is responsible for separating waste?
Waste can be separated by the households and businesses that produce it,
or by the people who collect it. Whatever system your community uses to
separate and collect waste for reuse, recycling, or disposal, it is important for
those who do the work to be respected and paid for their efforts.
Collectors may earn money by separating out and selling the more valuable
items and by bringing the rest of the separated waste to a recycling center.
Some collectors pay householders a small amount for separated waste, or
charge a small fee for collecting waste that is not separated.
If waste is separated at home, dry material may be kept in containers
indoors until they are collected. Containers for wet waste can be kept outside
and made into garden compost at home, or can be collected by a neighborhood
compost project (see pages 400 to 403).
Separating wastes after they go to a dump is dangerous and less effective
than sorting them at the household or business.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012