United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5305W)
EPA530-F-96-034
June 1996
&EPA
Environmental
Fact Sheet
Recycling Municipal Solid Waste:
1995 Facts and Figures
In the United States, we generated approximately 209 million tons of municipal solid
waste (MSW) in 1994-—an average of 4.4 pounds per person per day. Although the
total amount of MSW continues to rise each year, the per capita MSW generation rate
is expected to remain constant through the year 2000 for two main reasons. First,
while we continue to dispose of more products and packaging each year, an increasing
amount of packaging is being lightweighted. Second, efforts such as backyard
composting are beginning to reduce the amount of yard trimmings entering the waste
stream. Recovery rates for recycling and composting continue to grow. In 1994, the
nation's overall recycling rate was 24 percent—up 3 percent from the previous year.
Composting of food scraps reached measurable proportions in 1994 for the first time
ever. This fact sheet describes 10 of the primary components of the MSW stream,
along with their generation rate, the percentage of the MSW stream they represent,
and their recovery rate.
1994 Recovery Rates for Major MSW Components
Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.
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Materials Generated in MSW by Weight, 1994
Total weight = 209.1 million tons
Yard trimmings
30.6 million tons
Plastics
19..8 million tons
Other*
19.6 million tons
Metals
15.8 million tons
Wood
14.6 million tons
Paper and paperboard
81.3 million tons
Glass
13.3 million tons
Food
14.1 million tons
Includes rubber, leather, textiles, and
miscellaneous wastes
Aluminum
GENERATION: A total of 3.1 million tons of
aluminum waste was generated in 1994.
Aluminum containers and packaging, such as soft
drink and beer cans, contributed 2.1 million tons.
PERCENT: Aluminum made up 1.5 percent of
the total MSW generated in 1994.
RECOVERY: Approximately 65.5 percent of
aluminum containers were recycled in 1994. The
overall recycling rate for aluminum packaging
was 55.0 percent in 1994.
Ferrous Metals
GENERATION: About 11.5 million tons of
ferrous metal waste (e.g., iron and steel) was
generated in 1994.
PERCENT: Ferrous metals constituted
5.5 percent of the MSW'stream in 1994.
RECOVERY: Overall, about 25.2 percent of
ferrous metals in MSW were recycled in 1994.
Approximately 53.1 percent of steel cans and
27-8 percent of steel packaging materials, such as
strapping, were recycled.
Aluminum cans and other packaging comprise the largest
source of aluminum in MSW. Because of their high
market value, aluminum cans generally supply a large
percentage of revenues for many municipal recycling
programs. Most of the aluminum recovered from the
waste stream is used to manufacture new cans.
Ferrous metals are the largest category of metals by weight
in the MSW stream. Most ferrous metals in MSW are
found in such durable goods as appliances, furniture, and
tires. Steel cans and other packaging are the other source
of ferrous metals in MSW.
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Food Scraps
GENERATION: Nearly 14.1 million tons of
food scraps were generated in 1994.
PERCENT: Food scraps comprised
approximately 6.7 percent of the MSW stream in
1994.
RECOVERY: In 1994, recovery of food scraps
reached measurable proportions for the first time.
Approximately 3.4 percent of food scraps were
composted.
Food scraps include uneaten food and food preparation
wastes from homes, commercial establishments such as
restaurants, institutional sources such as school cafeterias,
and industrial sources such as factory lunchrooms.
Glass
GENERATION: Approximately 13.3 million
tons of glass waste was generated in 1994. Food
and beverage containers made up 91 percent of
this amount; the remainder came from products
like cookware and glassware, home furnishings,
and plate glass.
PERCENT: Glass constituted 6.3 percent of the
MSW stream in 1994.
RECOVERY: About 25.8 percent of all glass
food and beverage containers were recycled in
1994. Glass had an overall recovery rate of 23.4
percent in 1994.
Most of the glass recovered in the United States is used in
new glass containers. A portion is also used in fiberglass
and "glasphalt" for highway construction.
Paper and Paperboard
GENERATION: Nearly 81.3 million tons of paper
and paperboard waste was generated in 1994.
PERCENT: Paper and paperboard constitute the
largest portion of the MSW stream, representing
38.9 percent in 1994.
RECOVERY: Paper had an overall recycling rate
of 35.3 percent in 1994. About 55-3 percent of
a an overa recycng rat
of 35.3 percent in 1994. About 55-3 percent of
corrugated boxes, 45.3 percent of newspapers,
19.3 percent of books, 30 percent of magazines,
and 42.5 percent of office papers were recycled
in 1994.
Recovered paper can be used to make a variety of
products, including copier paper, paper towels and
napkins, corrugated boxes, and hydraulic mulch. Demand
for recovered paper is growing, as more mills are
processing recovered paper and consumers continue to
demand recycled paper products for their homes and
offices.
Plastics
GENERATION: Approximately 19.8 million
tons of plastic waste was generated in 1994.
PERCENT: Plastics comprised 9-5 percent of the
total MSW stream in 1994.
RECOVERY: About 4.7 percent of all plastics
were recycled in 1994, with plastic soda bottles
being the most commonly recycled product (an
estimated 50 percent were recovered).
Plastic containers and packaging comprise the largest
portion of the plastic that ends up in the waste stream.
Although the overall recovery of plastic is fairly small
(about 4.7 percent), recovery of plastic soft drink, milk,
and water bottles is increasing. Products made from
recovered plastic bottles include drainage pipes, toys,
carpet, filler for pillows and sleeping bags, and cassette
casings.
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Textiles
Wood
GENERATION: An estimated 6.6 million tons
of textiles were generated in 1994.
PERCENT: Textiles made up nearly 3.2 percent
of the MSW stream.
RECOVERY: About 1 1.7 percent of textiles
were recovered from the MSW stream.
Textiles in MSW consist primarily of discarded clothing,
although other sources include furniture, carpets, tires,
footwear, and other nondurable goods such as sheets and
towels. A significant amount of textiles is recovered for
reuse but these reused garments eventually re-enter the
waste stream, and are therefore not included in the
recovery for recycling estimate above. Textiles that are
considered permanently recovered from the waste stream
include clothing and items such as sheets and pillowcases
that are recovered for export or reprocessing.
Tires
GENERATION: Approximately 3.7 million
tons of rubber tires (or 250 million scrap tires—
about 1 tire per person in the United States)
were generated in 1994.
PERCENT: Tires made up about 1.8 percent of
the MSW stream in 1994.
RECOVERY: In 1994, approximately 15-1
percent of scrap tires were recycled.
Because of the difficulties of disposing of scrap tires in
landfills or waste combustors, most old tires generated in
the United States each year are stockpiled. These huge
stockpjles invite rodents and mosquitos and pose fire
hazards. Scrap tires can be burned for energy or converted
into molded rubber products, rubberized asphalt paving,
and athletic surfaces.
GENERATION: A total of 14.6 million tons of
wood materials were generated in 1994.
PERCENT: Wood materials constituted
7 percent of the MSW stream.
RECOVERY: Approximately 8.2 percent of total
wood discards were recovered in 1994.
The sources of wood in MSW include furniture, wood
packaging such as crates and pallets, and miscellaneous
durables such as kitchen cabinets and other products.
Recovery of wood pallets, usually by chipping, has been
increasing along with recovery of other wood materials.
Yard Trimmings
GENERATION: Approximately 30.6 million
tons of yard trimmings (including grass, leaves,
and tree and brush trimmings) were generated
in 1994.
PERCENT: Yard trimmings made up
14.6 percent of the MSW stream in 1994.
RECOVERY: In 1994, nearly 23 percent of yard
trimmings were composted.
Composting of yard trimmings has grown significantly in
the past few years. In 1994, composting of these materials
contributed to the second largest fraction of total MSW
recovery (after paper and paperboard) at 7 million tons.
This is largely due to state and local efforts to divert yard
trimmings from landfills.
Source of data for this fact sheet: U.S. EPA's
Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in
the United States: 1995 Update, Office of Solid
Waste and Emergency Response. Data are
from 1994,
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