Special Issue on Innovations in Solid Waste Engineering and Management: The 2008 Global Waste Management Symposium

This special issue contains a series of papers that were presented at the first Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) and then submitted as complete manuscripts. The GWMS was held in September 2008 in Copper Mountain, Colorado, and was among the largest meetings ever in the United States in the area of solid waste engineering and management. The GWMS brought together more than 500 people from many countries to address all aspects of solid waste management. Like many success stories, the seed for the GWMS was developed by leaders in the solid waste industry during an informal meeting. The goal was to bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss leading-edge research and well-documented case studies. The GWMS was considered an unqualified success by all involved.

Landfills represent the dominant disposal alternative for solid waste in the United States at this time and will likely remain dominant for years to come. Nonetheless, solid waste management is changing in response to increased efforts to divert waste from landfills for beneficial uses. The importance of landfills and the increasing interest in alternative technologies and their environmental implications are a unifying theme of the papers in this issue.

Please note that a series of two papers on bioreactor landfills that were authored by the coeditors present work that was not presented at the GWMS. The review of these manuscripts was managed by an independent associate editor.

In closing, being part of the first GWMS was a pleasure and an honor. We look forward to the continued success of the GWMS. The 2010 GWMS will be held the week of October 4, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas.