Waste Data and Analysis Center (WDAC) researchers (Yiyi Wang, Firman Firmansyah, Hailey Lee, Shizhe Li, Krista Thyberg, and Elizabeth Hewitt) and a former member (Griffin Walker), have published a new research article examining the compositional differences between different waste sources in the journal Waste.
The paper, titled “Exploring Compositional Differences Between Residential, Commercial, and Mixed Municipal Solid Waste Streams in New York State: Evidence from Statewide Hand-Sort Waste Characterization Data 2021–2025,” addresses the critical need for statistically robust, system-level assessments of municipal solid waste (MSW) composition. By analyzing extensive hand-sort characterization data collected across New York State from 2021 to 2025, the study evaluates how waste materials vary among residential, commercial, and mixed sources.
Dr. Wang, the lead author, says “The NYS Solid Waste Management Plan (NYSSWMP) estimates the percentages of residential and commercial waste, but these estimates do not always reflect how waste is collected and handled in practice. Residential and commercial waste are often mixed during collection and at waste management facilities, making them difficult to distinguish. Our study analyzes hand-sorted waste composition data from field samples to provide empirical evidence of how waste composition varies across residential, commercial, and mixed streams. These findings can help inform more practical waste management planning in New York State.“
To conduct the study, the research team aggregated 808 field samples, totaling 96.7 US tons across 22 sites, into 126 composite samples categorized into 16 consolidated material types.
The analysis revealed that the type of waste stream is the primary driver of variation. Commercial streams were found to contain significantly higher proportions of food waste (27.0%) and packaging plastics (19.9%). In contrast, residential streams featured more “other organics” (14.7%) and yard waste (7.8%), while mixed streams showed highly heterogeneous patterns. Interestingly, paper fractions remained remarkably stable across all streams, ranging from 23.4% to 24.8%.
The full text of the article can be downloaded here.