A materials recovery facility, also called a recycling center, recycling factory, or multi-reuse facility (MRF, pronounced “murf”), is a place that sorts and prepares recyclable materials for use by manufacturers. It receives waste, separates it into categories, and prepares it for sale. Common recyclable materials include ferrous metal, non-ferrous metal, plastics, paper, and glass.
Zero waste, or waste minimization, is a set of ideas that focus on stopping waste before it happens. These ideas encourage changing how products are made and used so that materials are reused or used again for new purposes. The goal is to stop throwing trash into landfills, burning facilities, oceans, or other parts of the environment.
Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is a type of fuel made from different kinds of waste, such as household trash, industrial waste, or waste from businesses. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development explains that certain waste and by-products can be used as fuel in cement kilns. These materials replace some traditional fuels like coal, but only if they meet strict requirements.
Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) are methods used to turn waste materials into useful energy, such as electricity or heat, in special facilities called waste-to-energy plants. As a way to recover energy from waste, WtE is important for managing waste and creating sustainable energy. It helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and provides an alternative source of energy.
Energy harvesting (EH), also called power harvesting, energy scavenging, or ambient power, is the process of taking energy from outside sources, such as sunlight, heat, wind, saltwater differences, and movement, then saving it for later use by small, wireless devices that work on their own, like those in wearable technology, monitoring systems, and sensor networks. Energy harvesters usually provide very little power for devices that use small amounts of energy. While large-scale energy generation uses resources like oil and coal, the energy used by harvesters is already present in the environment.
Solar shingles, also known as photovoltaic shingles, are solar panels that look and work like regular roofing materials, such as asphalt or slate, while also generating electricity. They are a type of solar energy system called building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). There are different kinds of solar shingles.
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are solar materials that replace traditional building materials in parts of a building, such as the roof, windows, or walls. These materials are used in new buildings to generate electricity as a main or extra power source. They can also be added to older buildings to improve energy use.
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are solar energy materials that replace traditional materials in parts of a building, such as the roof, skylights, or walls. These systems are often used in new buildings to generate electricity as a main or additional power source. Existing buildings can also be updated with similar technology.
A rooftop solar power system, also called a rooftop PV system, is a type of solar energy system that uses solar panels mounted on the roof of a home, business, or building. These systems include parts like solar panels, support structures, electrical wires, inverters, battery storage, controllers, monitoring tools, energy management systems, net metering devices, switches, grounding equipment, protective devices, combiner boxes, weatherproof enclosures, and other electrical parts. Rooftop systems are smaller than large solar power plants that are built on the ground and can produce millions of watts of electricity.
Cool pavement is a type of pavement that helps reduce the heat island effect, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This is done by using technologies that either increase the pavement’s ability to reflect sunlight, which reduces heat absorption, or by using water to cool the air around the pavement. Newer methods include harvesting energy, storing heat, and using materials that change state to manage temperature.