vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5305W)
EPA530-F-96-035
June 1.996
Environmental Fact Sheet
1995 Update Published on
Solid Waste Management in the
United States
The US.
Environmental
Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes an
annual report which
analyzes national
municipal solid
waste (MSW)
trends. The report,
entitled
Characterization of
Municipal Solid
Waste in the United
States: 1995
Update, tracks
19 9 4
H L I
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As the amount ofMSW continues
to rise, communities are finding
ways to manage it more
effectively. Many are turning to
integrated waste management—'•
relying first on waste prevention,
followed by recycling (including
composting), then waste disposal.
By taking an integrated approach,
communities can decrease waste
generation, increase recovery, and
depend less heavily on landfilling
and combustion.
MUNICIPAL.SO-tlD W A S T E M
Waste generation
rates are expected
to remain stable
Ithough Americans continue to
produce more trash each year, per
capita waste generation (the
amount of waste generated per
person per day) has reached a
plateau at 4.4 pounds per person per day. The gen-
eration rate is expected to remain constant for two
reasons. While as a nation we continue to dispose of
more products and packaging every year, packaging
is being lightweighted and efforts such as backyard
composting are beginning to reduce the amount of
yard trimmings entering the waste stream.
Achieving a decline in overall and per capita waste
generation after 2000 will require continued empha-
sis on waste prevention. Waste prevention, also
known as source reduction, includes many actions
that reduce the overall amount-or toxicity of waste
generated.
i 9 6 o
20 i o
150
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
Landfill,
other disposal:
127 million tons
in 1994
Recycling:
42 million tons
in 1994
Combustion:
32.5 million tons
in 1994
Composting:
7.5 million tons
in 1994
1990 1995 2000
*Composting of yard trimmings and food wastes.
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W A S T E G E N
B y WEI G H T ; IN 1 99 4
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
Recovery rate
shows impressive
growth
The overall recovery rate in the United
States reached new heights in 1994.
Recycling and composting recovered
24 percent of MSW in 1994 (about 49
million tons), up from 17 percent in
1990. This rising recovery rate is largely due to our
efforts to recycle the paper products we use in our
homes and offices every day. Recovery of copier
paper, newspapers, old magazines, corrugated pack-
aging, and other paper products accounted for more
than half (nearly 29 million tons) of total MSW
recovery. Composting of yard trimmings contributed
to the next largest fraction of total recovery at 7 mil-
lion tons. In addition, for the first time, composting
of food scraps reached measurable proportions in '
1994. Americans composted an estimated 3.4 per-
cent (500,000 tons) of food scraps.
Glass
13.3 million tons
Food
14.1 million tons
Total weight = 209.1 million tons
Includes rubber, leather, textiles, and
miscellaneous wastes
Waste prevention
continues to
pay off
IBB 9|R SS aste Preventi°n can help
VAl •BWA jHv decrease the amount of waste
wA mjS vA BW/ disposed of by preventing
VAwW vBlBW waste before it is generated.
VBBi •BRw Waste prevention activities
include (1) designing products or packaging to
reduce the quantity or toxicity of materials used,
(2) reusing products or packaging, (3) extending
the life of products to postpone disposal, and
(4) managing organic wastes, such as food scraps
and yard trimmings, through composting.
Our efforts to employ these and other waste pre-
vention activities, both at home and at work, are
having an impact. For exa-mple, efforts in recent
years to prevent yard trimmings from entering the
waste stream through grasscycling and backyard
composting have proven successful.
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Waste generation
affects the global
climate
The manufacture and distribution of prod-
ucts and the subsequent management of
solid waste can contribute to the forma-
tion of greenhouse gases in the atmos-
phere. Because these gases absorb and
retain heat from the sun, a build-up of these gases
could raise global temperatures, setting off profound'
changes in the earth's climate. Preliminary research
indicates that waste prevention and recycling have sig-
nificant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and mitigate climate change.
For more
information
The information in this fact sheet is based on
the EPA report Characterization of Municipal
Solid Waste in the United States: 1995 Update.
The report can be accessed on the Internet
via the EPA Public Access Server. (From this
server, choose Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response, then Office of Solid
Waste.) For a free printed copy of this report's
executive summary, call the RCRA Hotline at
800 424-9346 or TDD 800 553-7672 for the
hearing impaired. In the Washington, DC,
area, call 703 920-9810 or TDD 703 486-3323.
Copies of the entire report are available for a
fee from the National Technical Information
Service by calling 800 553-6847.
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(5305W)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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