United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(OS-305)
EPA/530-SW-90-055
Summer 1990
NEW
1990 Report Characterizes the
Nation's MSW Stream
Waste characterization, which
analyzes the quantity and com-
position of waste and establishes
trends in waste management, is an im-
portant first step in solving the nation's
garbage problem. Information about the
Materials Discarded into the
Municipal Waste Stream
(By weight)*
Yard-17.6%
Paper - 40%
Glass- 7.0%
Food-7.4%
Plastic-8.0%
Metal - 8.5%
Other-11.6%
'Numbers do not add to 100%
due to rounding.
makeup of the waste stream can help
establish and measure progress toward
waste management goals, and support
planning at the national, state, and local
levels. In addition, waste charac-
terization can alert decision-makers to
source reduction and recycling oppor-
tunities, as well as to special waste
management options.
EPA recently released the latest in a
series of reports characterizing the
nation's municipal solid waste (MSW)
stream. The anxiously awaited report,
Characterization of Municipal Solid
Waste in the United States: 1990 Up-
date, presents information from 1960 to
1988 on waste generation, disposal,
combustion, and recovery through
composting and recycling. It also
projects figures for waste generation
into the next century.
The data confirm that we are produc-
ing an ever-growing quantity of garbage
with each passing year and that tradi-
tional management practices are
changing in response to the load. In less
than three decades, waste generation
in this country has doubled, from 88
million tons in 1960 to nearly 180 million
tons in 1988, or 4 pounds of waste per
person per day. In 1986, EPA had
predicted that U.S. garbage generation
would not reach 4 pounds per person per
day until the year 2000. EPA now projects
that by 2000, we will produce 216 million
tons per year, or close to 41/2 pounds per
person per day.
The report also presents a breakdown
of the materials and products found in the
MSW stream by weight. In 1988, paper
and paperboard made up the largest
proportion of our waste by weight at 40
percent, with yard wastes the second
largest component at almost 18 percent.
Glass, metals, plastics, and food wastes
each composed between 7 and 9 percent
of total MSW by weight. Percentages of
these materials have shitted over the
years, with glass decreasing, paper in-
creasing slightly, and plastics and
aluminum increasing substantially.
The broad categories of materials in
MSW are made up of many individual
products. In 1988.containers and pack-
aging were the largest single product
category generated in MSW by weight,
at roughly 32 percent of the total. Non-
durable goods (such as newspapers
and disposable food service items)
were second at 28 percent of the total.
(Continued on page 8)
In This Issue
1990 Report Charac-
terizes the Nation's MSW
Stream (p.1)
Study Cites Need for
Proper MWC Ash Manage-
ment (p.2)
Siting Solutions (p.2)
All Sectors Join Forces
on Recycling Advisory
Council (p.3)
Upcoming Conferences (p.4)
Pennsylvania State
Government Finds Recy-
cling Works (p.4)
Old Nevs Is Good News
for ONP Recyclers (p.5)
Less Waste, More Efficiency
for Rhode Island Busi-
nesses (p.6)
King County Guidebook:
A Crowning Achievement
(P-6)
Direct Marketing Associa-
tion Responds to Environ-
mental Concerns (p.6)
Colorado's Cooperative
Venture Boosts Recycled
Paper Procurement (p.7)
EPA Prog ram Rewards
Recyclers (p.7)
See page 4 for highlights from
EPA's First United States Con-
ference on Municipal Solid Waste
Management
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EPA's First United
States Conference on
Municipal Solid Waste
Management was held in
Washington, DC, on June 13
to 16. Over 800 people (in-
cluding representatives from
all levels of government,
solid waste management
agencies, interest groups,
and industry) attended the
conference, which was
hailed a success by atten-
dees. Almost all of the 43
sessions were filled through-
out the 3-day conference.
EPA Administrator William Reilly and Con-
ference Coordinator Susan Mann review
the conference's agenda.
EPA's "Garbage Gremlin," and education-
al performer, networks with attendees
over breakfast.
Attendees came from as far away as
Taiwan; 43 states, 10 foreign countries, and
4 Canadian provinces were represented at
the conference.
Upcoming
Conferences
Recycle '90, the Governor's Sym-
posiunji on Recycling and
Recycled Ppducts, will provide in-
formation oip purchasing and imple-
menting programs to promote the
use of recycled products. This sym-
posium, to pe held September 17-
18, 1990, in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, is targeted toward person-
nel from federal, state, and local
governments and government
agencies in the Southwest, par-
ticulary thojse who must conform
with EPA purchasing guidelines.
Recycle '9^ is jointly sponsored by
EPA; New Mexico Energy, Minerals,
and Natural [Resources; and the New
Mexico Geheral Services Depart-
ment. For more information, call Ex-
position Management, Inc. at (505)
242-7374. !
i
EPA is holding its annual House-
hold Hazardous Waste Manage-
ment Conference in San Francisco,
California, !Jlovember5-7,1990. The
conference will focus on developing
goals for household hazardous
waste management programs, and
will include "how to" sessions, case
studies of 1j-day and permanent col-
lection facilities, and discussions of
product evaluation and labeling. For
more information, contact the
Governmehtal Refuse Collection
and Disposal Association at (800)-
456-4723. :
Pennsylvania State Government Finds Recycling Works
Recycling fever has struck Pennsyl-
vanians from state government on
down. More than 2.6 million citizens in
205 communities currently participate
in the state's recycling program. By the
time it is in full swing, it will be the
largest mandatory state recycling pro-
gram in the nation, with over 8 million
people participating.
Not only does the state government
advocate recycling, but it is also leading
the way by example. In 1989, state
workers recycled more than 3,000 tons
of wastepaper (double the amount
recycled in 1988). The state plans to
double or even triple the amount of
non-paper materials recycled this year,
which is expected to add approximately
$2 million in state revenues and save at
least $5 million in avoided disposal
costs.
The state government is also active-
ly working to stimulate markets for
recycled materials. By 1991,25 percent
of the paper purchased by the Pennsyl-
vania Department of General Services
for state agencies will have some
recycled content. The Pennsylvania
Bulletin, the newspaper of the state
government, is now printed on 100 per-
cent recycled newsprint, which
amounts to roughly 71,500,000 pages
of recycled paper per year. Alternative
uses for recycled products are being
investigated by the Pennsylvania Ener-
gy Office; some examples include
making cellulose insulation and animal
bedding from old newspaper.
Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Gover-
nor, Mark Siijgel, is confident that his
state will meet and even exceed the
goal of reducing its solid waste by 25
percent in thisj decade. His reasoning is
simple: "Recycling Works!" 1
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Old News
Is Good News
for ONP
Recyclers
In some areas of the country, tons of
old newspapers (ONP) collected for
recycling are stacking up in
warehouses or ending up in landfills
because the demand for recycled
newsprint has not kept pace with the
supply. This "glut" caused prices for old
newsprint to plummet and sparked con-
cern among municipalities and states
that are having a difficult time finding
markets for their ONP.
To discuss potential solutions to this
problem, including ways to strengthen
long-term markets for this commodity,
EPA convened an Old Newsprint Focus
Group last March. The focus group con-
sisted of over 30 representatives from
publishing companies; newsprint mills;
trade associations; waste management
companies; public interest groups;
marketing experts; and all levels of
government, including representatives
from Canada.
The Focus Group agreed that the
future for ONP recycling looks bright.
One indicator is that paper mills are
expanding or adding deinking capacity
to take advantage of the steady supply
of old newspapers. Industry efforts to
bolster demand for ONP have been
encouraged, in part, by pending federal
and state legislative initiatives that
would mandate recycling of ONP.
To help balance ONP supply with
demand, the group recommended that
before launching a newspaper recy-
cling project, program coordinators
should consider all potential ONP
markets, including new or existing
newsprint mills, export markets, and
alternative uses such as tissue paper,
paperboard, cellulose insulation,
animal bedding, or hydromulch applica-
tions. Program coordinators need to ac-
curately estimate the quantities of
newspaper supply, assess demand for
the material, and convey quality
specifications to those involved in
source separation. A successful recy-
cling program is dependent on avail-
able markets for recovered materials.
Hot Off the Hotline.
uestion:! have heard a lot about buying products that are "friendly to the
. environment." I am curious to know whether degradable plastic garbage
bags are considered "environmentally friendly."
i
nswer: "Degradable" plastics have generated quite a bit of debate. Claims
h^ve been made that degradable plastic bags will reduce the landfill capacity
problems that many communities are facing. Research has shown that many
items i traditionally considered degradable, including paper and vegetables,
degrade;very slowly in landfill environments. It is unlikely, therefore, that
degradable plastic bags, which generally must be exposed to light or microor-
ganisms in the appropriate environment to achieve any kind of breakdown, will
degrape quickly enough to affect landfill capacity. Our landfills will last much longer
if we ijeduce the amount of waste we produce and recycle as much as possible
of what remains.
Resources i
The following publications are available at no charge from the EPA RCRA/Su-
perfurjd Hotline. Call (800) 424-9346 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30
p.m. EST.
Be Ah Environmentally Alert Consumer (EPA/530-SW-90-034A). A pamphlet
describing practical steps that consumers can take to reduce the amount and
toxicity of the trash they generate.
Characterization of Municipal Waste Combustion Ash, Ash Extracts, and
Leachates - Executive Summary (ERA/530-SW-90-029B) and Fact Sheet
(EPA/^30-SW-90-029C). Summaries of a report characterizing MSW combus-
tion ash and how it behaves in the environment. A copy of the complete report
(NTISjPB 90 187154) is available from the National Technical Information
Serviq'e. Call (703) 487-4650.
j ' '
Charapterization of Municipal Waste in the United States: Update 1990 -
Executive Summary (EPA/530-SW-90-042A) and Fact Sheet (EPA/530-SW-
90-042B). Summaries of the latest in a series of reports characterizing the MSW
stream, including estimates of quantities of waste generated, recovered for
recycl ng and composting, combusted, and disposed of in landfills. A copy of
the complete report (NTIS PB 90 215112) is available from the National
Technical Information Service. Call (703) 487-4650.
Decisipn-maker's Guide to Solid Waste Management (Volume I) (EPA/530-
SW-8^-072). A guidebook designed to help decision-makers understand and
evaluate their current waste management problems.
Sites forOur SolidWaste:A Guidebook for Effective Public Involvement (EPA/53Q-
SW-90-019). A guidebook to help officials develop a facility siting strategy that
involves the community. Apamphlet entitled Siting Our Solid Waste: Making Public
Involvement Work (EPA/530-SW-90-020) is also available.
i
Recycle Today! Educational Materials for Grades K-12 (EPA/530-SW-90-025).
A pamphlet announcing the availability of EPA's educational materials on
recycl ng and other MSW issues. The materials include a curriculum, a
teacher's handbook, a poster, ;and a comic book.
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1990 Report Characterizes Nation's IVISW Stream
(Continued from page 1)
Yard wastes made up approximately
18 percent, and durable goods (such
as furniture and tires) were 14 percent
of total generation in 1988.
In this report, EPA characterizes the
MSW stream by volume for the first
time. Such information can be valuable
for determining landfill capacity be-
cause the volume of a particular
material in the waste stream may be
considerably different from its weight.
For example, plastics, which com-
pose only 9 percent of the waste
stream by weight, make up 20
percentofits volume. Paper, on the
other hand, makes up 40 percent of
the waste stream by weight, and ap-
proximately 34 percent by volume.
Plastics and paper together account
for over one-half the volume of MSW
discarded to landfills.
Materials recovery through recycling
or composting has increased, from 7 per-
cent of MSW in 1960 to over 13 percent
in 1988. The long-term future of materials
recovery, however, is difficult to predict.
Many factors may influence recycling and
composting over the next 5 years, includ-
DID YOU KNOW.
IF YOU'RE NOT
YOU'RE THROWING
IT ALL AWAY,
The Environmental Defense Fund
(EOF) was a winner of one of the
10th Annual Buccaneer Awards
for outstanding public service adver-
tising. The Buccaneer Awards are
Interest Radio and Television Society.
The winning entry, a television public
service announcement promoting
recycling, was sponsored by EOF
and created by Deutsch Inc. for
the Advertising Council. EPA was a
major sponsor of funding for the
announcement. ;
ing changing regulations; technology;
and federal, state, and regional efforts.
This report estimates that MSW recovery
rates will rise ^o between 20 and 28 percent
of the waste stream by 1995. EPA
believes, however, that with changes in
attitudes and activities related to recycling,
the nation co|uld achieve even higher rates
of recovery. :
The report also shows that combus-
tion has increased in recent years, while
the percentage of waste disposed of in
landfills has decreased slightly. New
waste combustion facilities are being
designed with better, higher efficiency
pollution control equipment and, in-
creasingly, ;to utilize waste-to-energy
recovery rpethods. Combustion of
MSW has risen from 10 percent in 1980
to 14 percent in 1988, and EPA projects
a continued increase in reliance on
combustiotji over the next decade.
Landfilling, on the other hand,
decreased from 81 percent in 1980 to
73 percent in 1988. fi
The mention of publications, products,
or organizations in this newsletter does
not constitute endorsement or approval
for use by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Office of Program Management and Support (OPMS)
OS-305
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business, Penalty for Private Use $300
8
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