• Solid waste may be defined as any solid matter that is discarded or thrown away. Solid waste should be defined to include garbage, refus and other discarded solid materials, including solid wastes, materials resulting from industrial, commercial and agricultural activities and from community activities.
• It should not include solids or dissolved material in domestic sewage or other significant pollutants in water resources such as silt, dissolved or suspended solids in wastewater effluents, dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or other common water pollutants.
• General classification includes dead animals, abandoned vehicles and special wastes of many types, these account for only a minor portion of all solid wastes and must be handled with specialized procedures.
• Various types and quantities of industrial and agricultural wastes are managed by the waste producers themselves and do not enter general municipal solid waste management systems.

Classification of solid waste:

• Garbage: Wastes from the preparation, cooking and serving of food. Market refuse, waste from the handling, storage, and sale of produce and meats.
• Rubbish: There are 2 types combustible (primarily organic) and noncombustible (inorganic).
• Combustible (primarily organic): Paper, cardboard, cartons, wood, boxes, excelsior, plastics rags, cloth, bedding, leather, rubber, grass, leaves, yard trimmings.
• Non-combustible (primarily inorganic): Metals, tin cans, metal foils, dirt, stones, bricks, ceramics, crockery, glass bottles and other mineral refuse.
• Ashes: Residue from fires used for cooking and for heating buildings, cinders.
• Garbage, rubbish and ashes are from households, institutions, and commercial concerns such as hotels, stores, restaurants, markets etc.
• Bulky wastes: Large auto parts, tires, stoves, refrigerators, other large appliances, furniture, large crates, trees, branches, slumps, flotage.
• Street refuse: Street sweepings, dirt leaves, catch basin dirt, contents of litter receptacles.
• Dead animals: Small animals, cats, dogs, pollutry, etc. Large animals: Horses, cows etc
• Abandoned vehicles: Automobiles, trucks.
• Construction and demolition wastes: Lumber, roofing and sheathing scraps, rubble, broken concrete, plastic, etc. Conduit, pipe, wire, insulation, etc.
• Ashes, bulky wastes, street refuse, dead animals, abandoned vehicles, construction and demolition wastes are from streets, sidewalks, alleys and vacant lots etc.
• Industrial refuse: Solid wastes resulting from industrial processes and maunfacturing operations, such as food processing wastes, boiler house cinders, wood, plastic and metal scraps and shavings etc. The industrial refuse is from factories, power plants etc.
• Special wastes: Hazardous wastes, pathological wastes, explosives, radioactive materials. Security wastes are confidential documents, negotiable papers, etc.
• The special wastes is from households, hospitals, institutions, stores, industry, etc.
• Animal and agricultural wastes: These are manures and crop residues and are from farms and feed lots.
• Sewage treatment residues: These are coarse screenings, grit, septic tank sludge, dewatered sludge. These are from sewage treatment plants and septic tanks.