V
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(OS-305)
EPA/530-SW-91-024
July 1992
Office of Solid Waste
Environmental
Fact Sheet
Recycling Municipal Solid Waste:
Facts and Figures
In the United States, we generate approximately 195 million tons of municipal solid waste
(MSW) annually—an average of 4.3 pounds per person per day. To safely and effectively
manage all of this trash, communities across the nation are using "integrated waste
management systems," which combine source reduction, recycling, combustion, and
landfilling to manage waste. Recycling, including composting, is a key component of many
integrated waste management systems. EPA has challenged the nation to reduce and recycle
at least 25 percent of MSW (in 1990, the nation's overall recycling rate was just over 17
percent). Many communities have far exceeded the national goal. This fact sheet describes
nine of the primary components of the MSW stream, along with their generation rate, the
percentage of the MSW stream they comprise, and their recovery rate.
Recovery Rates for Major MSW Components
30%
20%
10%.
Aluminum Automotive Glass Paper Plastics Steel Tires Used Yard
38.1% Batteries 19.9% 28.6% 2.2% 15.4% 11.6% o.l Waste
96.6% 67% 12%
'V "^ Printed on paper that contains at least 50 percent recycled fiber
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Aluminum
Generation: A total of 2.7 million tons of
aluminum waste are generated annually.
Aluminum containers and packaging, such as
soft drink and beer cans, contribute 1.9 million
tons.
Percent: Aluminum makes up 1.4 percent
of the total MSW generated annually.
Recovery: Fifty-four percent of all aluminum
containers and packaging are recycled.
The overall recycling rate for aluminum
is 38.1 percent.
The markets for scrap aluminum are strong. Aluminum
has a high market value, and aluminum cans supply a
large percentage of the income for many municipal
recycling programs. Almost all the aluminum collected is
used to make new cans.
Automotive Batteries
Generation: About 1.5 million tons of used
automotive (lead-acid) batteries are generated
annually. In addition, many of the 2.5 billion
household batteries purchased each year are
discarded into the MSW stream.
Percent: Batteries constitute less than 1 percent of
the MSW stream.
Recovery: About 96 percent of automotive
batteries are recycled each year.
Although automotive batteries constitute a small portion
of the MSW stream, they contain metals that may
be a concern when disposed of in landfills and
combustors. All three components of automotive
batteries are recyclable: the lead, the acid, and the plastic
casing. Retailers often accept used automotive batteries
that manufacturers recycle into new batteries.
Glass
Generation: Approximately 13.2 million tons of
glass waste are generated annually. Food and
beverage containers make up over 90 percent of
this amount; the remaining 10 percent comes from
products like cookware and glassware, home
furnishings, and plate glass.
Percent: Glass constitutes 6.7 percent of the MSW
stream.
Glass manufacturers typically use 30 percent crushed
glass (known as "cullet") along with raw materials to
make new glass. Cullet also can be used as an aggregate
in road building.
Paper and Paperboard
Generation: Nearly 73.3 million tons of paper and
paperboard waste are generated annually.
Percent: Paper and paperboard constitute the
largest portion of the MSW stream, representing
37.5 percent.
Recovery: Paper has an overall recycling rate of
28.6 percent. About 48 percent of corrugated
boxes, 42.5 percent of newspapers, 10.3 percent of
books, 10.7 percent of magazines, and 26.5 percent
of office papers are currently recycled.
At times, market supply for some recovered paper
products, such as newsprint, has exceeded the capacity
of mills to use the materials. Markets for recycled paper
products, however, are generally stable and expanding
as more mills build new deinking facilities to process
waste paper and as the demand for recycled paper
products grows. Significant new capacity will be on line
by 1994. Paper is recycled into paper products,
paperboard products, and construction products.
Plastics
Generation: Over 16 million tons of plastic waste
lllllll are generated annually.
Percent: Plastics comprise 8.3 percent of the total
MSW stream.
Recovery: About 2.2 percent of all plastics arc-
currently recycled, with plastic soda bottles being
the most commonly recycled product (more than
31.5 percent are recovered).
Plastics' share of the waste stream is growing by weight
and volume. Most plastics that end up in the waste
stream are from packaging and containers. Plastics
recycling has increased dramatically over the past 2
years. Products made from recycled plastic include
drainage pipes, toys, carpet, filler for pillows and
sleeping bags, and cassette casings. While accounting for
only about 8 percent of the MSW stream by weight,
plastics make up over 20 percent of the total waste
stream by volume.
Recovery: About 22 percent of all glass beverage
containers are recycled. Glass has an overall
recovery rate of 19.9 percent.
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Materials Generated
in MSW by Weight, 1990
Total Weight = 195.7 Million Tons
Paper, 37.5%
73.3 million tons
Other, 14.6%
28.6 million tons
(e.g., rubber, leather, textiles, wood,
miscellaneous inorganic wastes)
Yard Trimmings, 17.9%
35 million tons
Aluminum, 1 4%
2 7 million tons
Other Metals, 6 9%
13.5 million tons
Glass, 6.7%
13 2 million tons
Plastics, 8.3%
16 2 million tons
Food, 6.7%
13.2 million tons
Steel
Used Oil
Generation: About 12.3 million tons of steel
waste are generated annually.
Percent: Steel constitutes 6.3 percent of the MSW
stream.
Generation: Over 1.3 billion gallons of used oil
are generated yearly.
|?l Percent: Used oil makes up less than 1 percent of
the MSW stream.
Recovery: Overall, about 15.4 percent of steel in
MSW is recycled. Over 22 percent of steel cans are
recycled. Much greater amounts of steel are
recovered; however, these steel products (e.g.,
junked cars, steel girders) are usually not
considered MSW.
Demand for steel scrap is growing as steelmakers are
using more steel scrap to produce new steel products
and less scrap is being produced within the steel making
process. Some steel foundries are also beginning to use
steel cans as a source of new raw materials.
Recovery: Sixty-seven percent of all used oil is
recovered (900 million gallons). Only 10 percent
of the amount generated by people who change
their own motor oil is returned to collection
programs.
If disposed of improperly (i.e., poured down sewage
drains), used oil can contaminate soil, ground water,
and surface water. Many state and local governments
are taking steps to ensure the safe and effective
management of used oil. In some communities, used
motor oil is collected at service stations, corporate or
municipal collection sites, or at the curbside.
Tires
Generation: Approximately 1.6 million tons
of rubber tires (or 240 million scrap tires— about
1 tire per person) are generated annually.
Percent: Tires make up about 1.8 percent of the
MSW stream.
Recovery: Annually, 11.6 percent of scrap tires
are recycled.
Scrap used tires are difficult to dispose of in landfills
and waste combustors. An estimated 2 to 3 billion are
currently stockpiled. These stockpiles can provide
convenient habitats for rodents, serve as breeding
grounds for mosquitos, and pose fire hazards. Of the
scrap tires that are utilized, most are burned for energy.
Scrap tires also are used for rubberized asphalt paving,
molded rubber products, and athletic surfaces.
Yard Trimmings
Generation: Thirty-five million tons of yard
trimmings (including grass, leaves, and tree and
brush trimmings) are generated annually.
Percent: Yard trimmings make up 17.9
percent of the MSW stream.
H Recovery: Each year, 12 percent of the yard
trimmings produced are composted.
Yard trimmings can be transformed into compost for
homeowners, farmers, public agencies, landscapers, and
nurseries. Grass clippings can be beneficial when left on
the lawn.
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For More Information
This fact sheet and the resources listed below are available to the public, free of charge, by calling the RCRA
Hotline at (800) 424-9346, or, for the hearing impaired, TDD (800) 553-7672.
Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the
United States: 1992 Update—Executive Summary
Characterizing Municipal Solid Waste:
Facts & Figures
Decision-Makers Guide to Solid
Waste Management (Vol. 1)
The Facts About Plastics it! the
Marine Environment
Tlie Facts on Degradable Plastics
The Facts on Recycling Plastics
How to Set Up a Local Program to
Recycle Used Oil
Methods to Manage and Control
Plastic Wastes—Executive Summary
Plastics: The Facts About Production,
Use, and Disposal
Plastics: The Facts on Source Reduction
Recycle: You Can Make a Ton of Difference
Recycling Used Oil: 10 Steps to Change Your Oil
Recycling Used Oil: For Service
Stations and Other Vehicle-Service Facilities
Recycling Used Oil: What Can You Do?
Recycling Works.' State and Local Solutions to
Solid Waste Management Problems
EPA530-S-92-019
EPA530-F-92-019
EPA/530-SW-89-072
EPA/530-SW-90-017B
EPA/530-SW-90-017D
EPA/530-SW-90-017E
EPA /530-SW-89-039 A
EPA/530-SW-89-051A
EP A / 530-SW-90-017 A
EPA/530-SW-90-017C
EPA530-F-92-003
EP A / 530-SW-89-039C
EPA / 530-SW-89-039D
EPA/530-SW-89-039B
EPA/530-SW-89-014
The following EPA publications are available for a fee from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
Call (703) 487-4650.
Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the
United States: 1992 Update
Methods to Manage and Control
Plastic Wastes
Office Paper Recycling: An
Implementation Manual
Yard Waste Composting:
A Study of Eight Programs
PB92-207 166
PB90-163 106
PB90-199 431
PB90-163114
Source of data for this fact sheet: U.S. EPA's Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States-
1992 Update. Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. Data are from 1990.
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