Talk trash or waste, just not both

Sometimes I wonder why I help companies with “sustainability” when what I’m really helping them manage is waste. The problem is, if I call myself a “waste” consultant according to conventional lexicon, you would think that I was something I’m not.  The issue is that the term “waste” is frequently used in place of “garbage.”  In reality, these terms are not interchangeable, nor synonymous.

For example, from Dictionary.com:

Synonyms for “garbage”

2. litter, refuse, junk, rubbish.

Synonyms for “waste”

1. misspend, dissipate, fritter away, expend. 3. erode. 5. ravage, pillage, plunder, sack, spoil, despoil. 10. decline, perish,wane, decay. 12. dissipation. 14. diminution, decline,emaciation, consumption. 15. spoliation, desolation. 29. unused, useless, extra.