Materials and Waste Management Research
Waste and materials management research will provide ways to reuse materials, derive energy from wastes, produce less waste and better manage unavoidable waste, which will conserve natural resources and reduce disposal costs.
EPA is developing data and tools to optimize the recovery of energy from wastes. This research will be done in collaboration with states to develop reuse options and with the private sector to assess technologies and processes. This information can identify opportunities to further reduce the volume of waste disposal, conserve natural materials, and reduce costs while protecting the natural environment.
Research Topics
- Waste Management for Emergency Response
- Managing PFAS Containing Materials and Waste
- Food Waste Research
Available Tools & Models
- Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool (MSW-DST) - designed to aid solid waste planners in evaluating the cost and environmental aspects of integrated municipal solid waste management strategies.
- LandGEM - provides an automated estimation tool for quantifying air emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills.
- Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) Methods and Guidance - a leaching evaluation system to provide a description of the release of inorganic constituents of potential concern for a wide range of solid materials.
- Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model - hydrologic model of water movement across, into, through and out of landfills. The program models rainfall, runoff, infiltration, and other water pathways to estimate how much water builds up above each landfill liner.
- US Environmentally-Extended Input-Output (USEEIO) Models - a family of models that provides a robust resource for estimating the potential impacts—environmental and economic—associated with the production or consumption of goods and services.
- Waste Reduction Model (WARM) - provides high-level estimates of potential greenhouse gas emissions reductions, energy savings and economic impacts from several different waste management practices.
See EPA Science Models and Research Tools (SMaRT) Search for a full listing of available tools.
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EPA Tools Help Local Decision-Makers Deal with Waste Resulting from Major Natural Disasters