Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the U.S. and as refuse or rubbish in the UK, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public.Garbage can also refer specifically to food waste, as in a garbage disposal; the two are sometimes collected separately.n municipalities (countries) which have a well developed waste recycling system, the waste stream consists mainly of intractable wastes such as plastic film, and unrecyclable packaging materials. At the start of the 20th century, the majority of domestic waste (53%) in the UK consisted of coal ash from open fires.