Post-consumer waste

Post-consumer waste is waste produced by the end consumer of a material stream, particularly when the waste-producing use was not in the production of another product.

Quite commonly, this is simply the garbage that individuals routinely discard, either in a trash can or a dump or by littering, incinerating, pouring down the drain, or washing into the gutter.

In some locales, efforts may be made to separate paper and glass into separate waste streams for recycling.