During the course of everyday living, society generates a number of waste products including glass, plastic, paper, aluminum and other metal cans, yard clippings, wood, construction materials, etc. Household garbage (trash) and some commercial wastes (such as paper, cafeteria food wastes, etc.) are termed municipal solid waste (MSW). The construction, renovation, remodeling, and demolition of existing buildings and structures generate construction and demolition wastes (C&D). Most MSW and C&D wastes are currently disposed of in landfills. The wood component of MSW and C&D wastes either alone, or combined with other organic components (refuse derived fuels) can be recovered and used for bioenergy and bioproducts.
Additional urban biomass resources include the capture of gases produced by the decay of organic materials that have been landfilled, and biosolids generated in the wastewater treatment of sewage.