Aerosol
An aerosol (abbreviation of “aero-solution”) is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be natural or anthropogenic. Examples of natural aerosols are fog, mist, dust, forest exudates and geyser steam.

Aluminum
A light, strong, silver-colored metal made mostly of bauxite ore. One of the most common materials accepted for recycling.

Battery
Device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, consisting of a group of electric cells that are connected to act as a source of direct current.

Brand protection
Brand protection is the process and set of actions that a right holder undertakes to prevent third parties from using its intellectual property without permission, as this may cause loss of revenue and, usually more importantly, destroys brand equity, reputation and trust.

Data Destruction / Data Wiping
The irreversible removal of data from a media form. This can have many applications and methods, however the goal of removing data is the same.

Data Security
Data security is the means of ensuring that data is kept safe from corruption and that access to it is suitably controlled. It also helps in protecting personal data.

Dumpster
A large container to keep waste until it is collected by the trash hauler. Dumpsters often are used by stores, apartment buildings and restaurants.

Electronic waste, e-waste or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
A waste type consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance.

Electronic or E-Waste
Waste that consists of electronic products nearing the end of their useful life. Many e-waste products can be reused, refurbished or recycled, and government mandates often ensure e-waste is recycled rather than sent to landfill.

End- of-life electronics (EOL)
A product that does not receive continuing support, either because existing marketing, support and other processes are terminated, or it is at the end of its useful life.

E-scrap
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment also, called as WEEE.

Ferrous Metal
Ferrous is an adjective used to indicate the presence of iron. Ferrous metals include steel and pig iron (which contain a few percent of carbon) and alloys of iron with other metals (such as stainless steel).

Fluorescent Light Tube
A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor in argon or neon gas, resulting in a plasma that produces short-wave ultraviolet light. This light then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light.

General Waste
The term used for mixed waste comprising of various waste streams that haven’t been segregated or sorted into recyclable materials.

Hard Drive
A hard disk drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data.

Hazardous Waste
Waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment and consists of four key traits: ignitability, reactivity, corrosivity, and toxicity.

Heavy Metals
Hazardous elements including cadmium, mercury and lead which may be found in the waste stream as part of discarded items such as batteries, lighting fixtures, colorants and inks.

ITAD
A comprehensive step by step process for unwanted IT assets called IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)

Lamp
A device for giving light, either one consisting of an electric bulb together with its holder and shade or cover, or one burning gas or oil and consisting of a wick or mantle and a glass shade.

Landfill
A landfill, also known as a dump or tip is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burying waste into the ground. The number of landfill sites within the UK is reducing all the time as other alternative methods of disposal and recycling come into force backed by government legislation.

Lead-acid battery
Any battery that consists of lead and sulfuric acid, has a capacity of six volts or more and is used as power source. A car battery is an example of a lead-acid battery

Non-ferrous metals
Metals such as aluminum, copper or brass that contains no iron.

Recyclable Materials
Waste materials that can be readily separated from the waste stream and collected for use as a substitute for new “virgin” raw materials.

Recycle or Recycling
The process by which recovered products are transformed into new products, and includes the collection, separation, recovery and sale or reuse of metals, glass, paper, tires, lead-acid batteries and other materials.

Reduce
To lessen in amount. Reducing trash is a major solid waste management goal.

Refurbish
Repair and make useful.

Renewable resource
A natural resource that comes from an endless or repeating source like the: sun, wind, water, fish, trees, cotton.

Residue
Materials remaining after processing, incineration, composting or recycling have been completed. Residues are usually disposed of in landfills.

Reuse
The use of a product more than once for any purpose. Examples include using a butter tub as an alternate food container or reusing a coffee can to hold nuts and bolts.

Sanitary landfill
See municipal solid waste landfill.

Scrap
Waste with some value, particularly material left over from construction or manufacturing suitable for reprocessing.

Secondary Material
A material that is used in place of a primary or raw material in manufacturing a product.

Special Waste
Refers to items that require special or separate handling, such as household hazardous wastes, bulky wastes, tires and used oil.

Sustainability development
The ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. An environmental protection strategy designed to protect the earth’s resources.

Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Trash
Material considered worthless, unnecessary or offensive that is usually thrown away. Generally defined as dry waste material it is a synonym for garbage, rubbish, or refuse.

Universal Waste
A special category of hazardous waste that generally includes fluorescent lamps, cathode ray tubes, mercury or batteries.

Waste Diversion
The act of preventing waste from being disposed into landfills and incinerators.

Waste minimization
The reduction of the amount of waste generated by pollution prevention methods or recycling of by-product that would otherwise be added to the waste stream.

Waste reduction
An important waste management strategy that encourages people to generate less trash through practices such as reuse, recycling and buying products with less packaging.

Waste
Anything that is discarded or not considered useful.

Waste
Unwanted materials left over as a result of human habitation or manufacturing and production processes.

Zero Waste
Zero Waste is a goal that is both pragmatic and visionary, to guide people to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to reduce the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.