United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5305)
EPA530-F-94-042
February 1995
Environmental Fact Sheet
Update Released on
Solid Waste Management
in the United States
EPA has released
a report entitled
Characterization
of Municipal
Solid Waste in
the United States:
1994 Update,
which analyzes
municipal solid
waste (MSW)
generation and
management
trends in this
country from
1960 to 1993.
This fact sheet
highlights the
report's key
findings.
T H i, B i c; Pic: T u R t
Americans generated 207 million tons of MSW in 1993, up from
198 million tons in 1990. Approximately 4.4 pounds of waste were
generated per person per day.
Waste prevention is having an impact. After increasing each year
since 1960, waste generation (as measured per capita) is expected
to decline to 4.3 pounds per person per day by the year 2000.
Recycling continues to grow at a strong clip. Nearly 22 percent of
the solid waste stream was recycled in 1993, up from 17 percent
in 1990.
The nation is relying less on the traditional disposal methods of
landfilling and combustion. About 62 percent of MSW was
landfilled in 1993, down from 67 percent in 1990. Since 1990, the
amount of waste combusted has remained about 16 percent of MSW.
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed on paper that contains at least
20% postconsumer fiber.
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As MSW management in this country
grows more complex, communities
increasingly are taking a more
sophisticated approach. For a growing
number of communities, integrated
waste management—using waste
prevention, followed by recycling and
composting, then waste disposal—has
emerged as the key to dealing effectively
with MSW. Taking an integrated
approach will lead to reduced waste
generation, increased recovery, and a
decreasing reliance on landfill ing and
combustion. And, as the report shows,
the nations MSW management efforts
are headed firmly in that direction.
Waste generation is
expected to decline
mericans produce more waste each
year as our nation's population
increases. In 1993, 207 million
tons of MSW were generated.
Each individual generated about
4.4 pounds of waste per day. By the year 2000, how-
ever, the per capita rate of waste generation is
expected to dip to 4.3 pounds per day, thanks to the
waste prevention efforts of individuals and organiza-
tions. (Waste prevention, or source reduction,
includes many actions that reduce the overall
amount or toxicity of waste generated.)
A major factor in this projected decline in waste
generation is the jump in state and local efforts to
increase the use of composting as an alternative to
disposal. Many state and local governments have
instituted community compost collection pro-
grams and are encouraging homeowners to use
backyard composting and leave grass clippings on
the lawn. As a result, the amount of yard trim-
mings requiring disposal is projected to decline to
WAS r \ G [ N i R A i ION 196 o
1 o o o
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
Landfill,
other disposal:
129 million tons
in 1993
Recycling:
38.5 million tons
in 1993
Combustion:
33 million tons
in 1993
Composting:
6.5 million tons
in 1993
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22 million tons by the year 2000, a 32-percent
decrease from 1993. Other waste prevention efforts,
including reusing bags in the supermarket, using
both sides of the page for copying, and businesses
manufacturing lighter weight products, also have
made a contribution.
\V A S I ! G 1 N I R A I I O X BY \V I I (, II I IN 1 9 9
Yard trimmings
32.8 million tons
Other
18.7 million tons
Food
13.8 million tons
Wood
13.7 million tons
Plastics
19.3 million tons
Paper and paperboard
77.8 million tons
Glass
13.7 million tons
Metals
17.1 million tons
Waste prevention is
paying off
modest, the projected
decline in per capita waste
generation is big news. Since
I960, the rate of waste genera-
tion for individual Americans
has climbed steadily from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day.
In its analysis, EPA found a strong connection
between rising per capita waste generation and the
nation's growing affluence. In fact, each year over
the past two decades, the rate of waste generation
per capita has risen nearly step-for-step with eco-
nomic growth (as measured by gross domestic
product).
Despite expectations that the economy will con-
tinue to grow, however, per capita waste generation
is projected to buck this trend and begin declining.
This remarkable change reflects the extent to which
waste prevention is being adopted in homes and
workplaces across the country.
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The recycling rate
is reaching new
highs
ecycling continues to make impressive
gains. Recycling began climbing rapidly
in the late 1980s, reaching 16.6 percent
in 1990. In 1993, the rate reached 21.7
percent—45 million tons of solid waste
were recovered for recycling that year. Projected
rates of recovery predict that the United States will
be recycling between 25 and 35 percent of its solid
waste by 2000. With each passing year, material
resources we used to throw away are becoming an
increasingly important part of our economy.
Waste disposal
amounts continue
to drop
ot surprisingly, given the surge in
recycling, the percentage of MSW
being combusted and landfilled is
declining. In 1993, 62 percent (129
million tons) of solid waste was land-
filled, down from 67 percent in 1990. The percent-
age of waste combusted remained at about 16 per-
cent in 1993—almost all of it with energy recovery.
By 2000, assuming we reach a recycling rate of 30
percent, our nation will be landfilling and combust-
ing 10 million fewer tons of MSW than in 1993.
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(5305)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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