The Cornell Waste Management Institute serves the public through research, outreach, training, and technical assistance programs in solid waste disposal, management and planning.



The Cornell Waste Management Institute [CWMI] was established in 1987. CWMI addresses the environmental and social issues associated with waste management by focusing University resources and capabilities on this pressing economic, environmental and political issue. Through research, outreach and teaching activities, CWMI staff and affiliated researchers and educators work to develop technical solutions to waste management problems and to address broader issues of waste generation and composition, waste reduction, risk management, environmental equity and public decision-making. The focus for such work is on multidisciplinary projects that integrate research and outreach.



Research

CWMI promotes research on all aspects of solid waste management. One particularly important function of the Institute is to enable experts from various fields to collaborate on the interdisciplinary problems that characterize waste management.



Among the current areas of research are composting as a component of integrated waste management; assessing the benefits and impacts of agricultural application of sewage sludges, manures and fertilizers; and source reduction.