Glossary and abbreviations

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Market capitalization: Value attributed, at a given moment, by the stock market to a company. It is calculated by multiplying the existing number of securities by the market share price.
Marpol Convention: The so-called Marpol Convention signed by 130 States in London on November 2, 1973, deals with the prevention of marine pollution by ships. The text, which entered force in 1983, aims to ensure the safety of all floating devices. It concerns several products or substances which pollute the sea if discharged: hydrocarbons, hazardous liquid substances transported in bulk or containers, ship’s wastewater and solid waste. The provisions of the Marpol Convention include safety rules that ship owners must observe, establishes the component parts of discharge infringements and the methods for preventing these infringements.
Mechanical sorting center or materials recovery facility (MRF): To make source sorting collection more efficient and improve working conditions, Veolia Environmental Services is developing mechanical sorting centers. They have a minimum treatment capacity of 15,000 metric tons of waste a year, as this volume is the necessary threshold above which it is possible to industrialize operations under viable economic conditions. Furthermore, these centers improve the quality of the secondary raw materials supplied to users.
MEDD: French Ministry for the Ecology and Sustainable Development (Ministère de l’Ecologie et du Développement Durable).
Membrane: A fine layer of material (organic or mineral) that acts as a physical barrier to separate microscopic components. The separation can be aided by the application of force (pressure differential, concentration or electric potential).
Methane or CH4: Gas contributing to the greenhouse effect (see Biogas) and Greenhouse Gas.
Municipal waste: All household waste and other waste collected by municipalities. Its great diversity, the leeway granted to municipalities as to whether to collect or not certain types of waste explains why there are no comprehensive figures in this area.
MWh: Mega Watt hour
MWIP or Waste-to-Energy (WtoE) plant: Municipal waste incineration plant used to generate electricity or supply a district heating network.