5. Even businesses with the same SIC code may have different waste stream characteristics, because of different business practices or different functions. For example, both fast food restaurants and "sit-down" restaurants are included in the same business grouping, but the waste streams differ because of the business practices. Or, the corporate offices of an oil company may fall under the "Mining" business grouping even though the office's waste stream may be more similar to the "Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Legal" business grouping.
    
6. In designing California's 1999 Waste Characterization Study, it was necessary to combine some business groups. This so-called "lumped group" consists of 14 business groups whose combined contribution to the statewide overall waste stream is less than 5 percent. The groups are:
   

Data for each individual group is included in the database, but it is based on very limited sampling and may not provide an accurate representation of actual disposal compositions.

continued »