Material recovery from municipal solid waste (MSW) is becoming widely
adopted in several developing countries. Residential solid waste is one of the most
important components of MSW and the handling practices of the MSW by the generators
have a major impact on the quality and quantity of the materials for recovery. This article
analyzes the generation and composition of residential solid waste and the handling
practices by users in three municipalities in Colombia that have a solid waste management
plant (SWMP). The findings show that, although there are significant amounts of useful
materials, their handling of the materials as ?garbage?, the low recognition of recovery
work, and the inadequate storage and source management practices, affect material
recovery and the operation of SWMPs. These results may be taken as a reference for this
type of municipality, because the solid waste management system and the type of operation
of the SWMPs analyzed is similar to all of the SWMPs in the country as well as in other
countries in the region