MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
IN THE UNITED STATES:
2005 FACTS AND FIGURES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste Division
Office of Solid Waste
October 18, 2006
Printed on paper that contains at least 50percentpostconsumer fiber.
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Executive Summary
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
IN THE UNITED STATES: 2005 FACTS AND FIGURES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OVERVIEW
This report describes the national municipal solid waste (MSW) stream based on data
collected for 1960 through 2005. The historical perspective is useful for establishing trends in
types of MSW generated and in the ways it is managed. In this Executive Summary, we briefly
describe the methodology used to characterize MSW in the United States and provide the latest
facts and figures on MSW generation, recycling, and disposal.
In the United States, we generated approximately 245.7 million tons of MSW in 2005—a
decrease of 1.6 million tons from 2004. Excluding composting, the amount of MSW recycled
increased to 58.4 million tons, an increase of 1.2 million tons from 2004. This is a 2 percent
increase in the tons recycled. The tons recovered for composting rose slightly to 20.6 million
tons in 2005, up from 20.5 million tons in 2004. The recovery rate for recycling (including
composting) was 32.1 percent in 2005, up from 31.4 percent in 2004.l (See Tables ES-1 and ES-
2 and Figures ES-1 and ES-2.)
MSW generation in 2005 declined to 4.54 pounds per person per day. This is a decrease
of 1.5 percent from 2004 to 2005. The recycling rate in 2005 was 1.46 pounds per person per
day. Discards sent to a landfill after recycling declined to 2.46 pounds per person per day in
2005 (Table ES-3).
1 Data shown for 2000 through 2004 have been adjusted to reflect the latest revisions and, therefore, may differ
from the same measure reported previously.
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Executive Summary
Table ES-1
GENERATION, MATERIALS RECOVERY, COMPOSTING,
COMBUSTION WITH ENERGY RECOVERY, AND DISCARDS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE,
1960 - 2005
(in millions of tons)
Activity
Generation
Recovery for recycling
Recovery for composting*
Total materials recovery
Combustion with energy
recoveryf
Discards to landfill, other
disposal}
1960
88.1
5.6
Neg.
5.6
0.0
82.5
1970
121.1
8.0
Neg.
8.0
0.4
112.7
1980
151.6
14.5
Neg.
14.5
2.7
134.4
1990
205.2
29.0
4.2
33.2
29.7
142.3
2000
237.6
52.7
16.5
69.1
33.7
134.8
2003
240.4
55.8
19.1
74.9
33.7
131.9
2004
247.3
57.2
20.5
77.7
34.1
135.5
2005
245.7
58.4
20.6
79.0
33.4
133.3
* Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps and other MSW organic material.
Does not include backyard composting.
f Includes combustion of MSW in mass burn or refuse-derived fuel form, and combustion with energy
recovery of source separated materials in MSW (e.g., wood pallets and tire-derived fuel).
} Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery. Discards include combustion without energy recovery.
Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
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Executive Summary
Table ES-2
GENERATION, MATERIALS RECOVERY, COMPOSTING,
COMBUSTION WITH ENERGY RECOVERY, AND DISCARDS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE,
1960 - 2005
(in percent of total generation)
Activity
Generation
Recovery for recycling
Recovery for composting*
r Total materials recovery
Combustion with energy
recovery!
Discards to landfill, other
disposal}
1960
100.0%
6.4%
Neg.
6.4%
0.0%
93.6%
1970
100.0%
6.6%
Neg.
6.6%
0.3%
93.1%
1980
100.0%
9.6%
Neg.
9.6%
1.8%
88.6%
1990
100.0%
14.2%
2.0%
16.2%
14.5%
69.3%
2000
100.0%
22.2%
6.9%
29.1%
14.2%
56.7%
2003
100.0%
23.2%
7.9%
31.1%
14.0%
54.9%
2004
100.0%
23.1%
8.3%
31.4%
13.8%
54.8%
2005
100.0%
23.8%
8.4%
32.1%
13.6%
54.3%
* Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps and other MSW organic material.
Does not include backyard composting.
f Includes combustion of MSW in mass burn or refuse-derived fuel form, and combustion with energy
recovery of source separated materials in MSW (e.g., wood pallets and tire-derived fuel).
} Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery. Discards include combustion without energy recovery
Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
Table ES-3
GENERATION, MATERIALS RECOVERY, COMPOSTING
COMBUSTION WITH ENERGY RECOVERY, AND DISCARDS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE,
1960 - 2005
(in pounds per person per day)
Activity
Generation
Recovery for recycling
Recovery for composting*
Total materials recovery
Combustion with energy
recovery!
Discards to landfill, other
disposal}
Population (millions)
1960
2.68
0.17
Neg.
0.17
0.00
2.51
179.979
1970
3.25
0.22
Neg.
0.22
0.01
3.02
203.984
1980
3.66
0.35
Neg.
0.35
0.07
3.24
227.255
1990
4.50
0.64
0.09
0.73
0.65
3.12
249.907
2000
4.63
1.03
0.32
1.35
0.66
2.62
281.422
2003
4.53
1.05
0.36
1.41
0.63
2.49
290.850
2004
4.61
1.07
0.38
1.45
0.64
2.52
293.660
2005
4.54
1.08
0.38
1.46
0.62
2.46
296.410
* Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps and other MSW organic material.
Does not include backyard composting.
•f Includes combustion of MSW in mass burn or refuse-derived fuel form, and combustion with energy
recovery of source separated materials in MSW (e.g., wood pallets and tire-derived fuel).
} Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery. Discards include combustion without energy recovery.
Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
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Executive Summary
Figure ES-1: MSW Generation Rates,
1960 to 2005
300.00
0.00
• 10.00
250.00 - •
S 200.00 • •
<5 150.00 • •
ro
„ 100.00+ --7---
50.00 • •
- • 8.00
• • 6.00
• • 4.00
• • 2.00
• 0.00
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980
A Total MSW generation
1985 1990 1995
—• — Per capita generation
2000
2005
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Executive Summary
The state of the economy has a strong impact on consumption and waste generation.
Waste generation continued to increase through the 1990s as economic growth continued to be
strong. Between 2000 and 2005, total growth in waste generation slowed. On a per capita basis,
2005 waste generation at 4.54 pounds per person per day is only slightly higher than the 1990
rate of 4.50 pounds per person per day.
80.0
70.0 • •
Figure ES-2: MSW Recycling Rates,
1960 to 2005
79.0
50.0%
• • 40.0%
• • 30.0%
• • 20.0% o
•• 10.0%
0.0%
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995
A Total MSW recycling —• — Percent recycling
2000
2005
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Executive Summary
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE?
MSW—otherwise known as trash or garbage—consists of everyday items such as
product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers,
appliances, and batteries. Not included are materials that also may be disposed in landfills but
are not generally considered MSW, such as construction and demolition debris, municipal
wastewater treatment sludges, and non-hazardous industrial wastes.
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN PERSPECTIVE
Trends Over Time
Over the last few decades, the generation, recycling, and disposal of MSW have changed
substantially (see Tables ES-1, ES-2, and ES-3 and Figures ES-1 and ES-2). MSW generation
has continued to increase from 1960, when it was 88 million tons. The generation rate in 1960
was just 2.7 pounds per person per day; it grew to 3.7 pounds per person per day in 1980;
reached 4.5 pounds per person per day in 1990; increased to 4.6 pounds per person per day in
2000; and returned to about 4.5 pounds per person per day in 2005.
Over time, recycling rates have increased from 10 percent of MSW generated in 1980 to
16 percent in 1990, to 29 percent in 2000, and to 32 percent in 2005. Disposal of waste to a
landfill has decreased from 89 percent of the amount generated in 1980 to 54 percent of MSW in
2005.
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN 2005
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses two methods to analyze the 245.7
million tons of MSW generated in 2005. The first is by material (paper and paperboard, yard
trimmings, food scraps, plastics, metals, glass, wood, rubber, leather and textiles, and other); the
second is by several major product categories. The product-based categories are containers and
packaging; nondurable goods (e.g., newspapers); durable goods (e.g., appliances); food scraps;
and other materials.
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Executive Summary
Materials in MSW
A breakdown, by weight, of the MSW materials generated in 2005 is provided in Figure
ES-3. Paper and paperboard made up the largest component of MSW generated (34 percent), and
yard trimmings were the second-largest component (13 percent). Glass, metals, plastics, wood,
and food scraps each constituted between 5 and 12 percent of the total MSW generated. Rubber,
leather, and textiles combined made up about 7 percent of MSW, while other miscellaneous
wastes made up approximately 3 percent of the MSW generated in 2005.
Figure ES-3: 2005 Total MSW Generation - 246 Million Tons
(Before Recycling)
Paper and paperboard 34.2%
A portion of each material category in MSW was recycled or composted in 2005. The
highest rates of recovery were achieved with yard trimmings, paper and paperboard products,
and metal products. About 62 percent (19.9 million tons) of yard trimmings was recovered for
composting in 2005. This represents nearly a five-fold increase since 1990. Fifty percent (42.0
million tons) of paper and paperboard was recovered for recycling in 2005. Recycling these
organic materials alone diverted more than 25 percent of municipal solid waste from landfills
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Executive Summary
and combustion facilities. In addition, about 6.9 million tons, or about 37 percent, of metals were
recovered for recycling. Recycling rates for all materials categories in 2005 are listed in Table
ES-4.
Table ES-4
GENERATION AND RECOVERY OF MATERIALS IN MSW, 2005
(in millons of tons and percent of generation of each material)
Material
Paper and paperboard
Glass
Metals
Steel
Aluminum
Other nonferrous metals*
Total metals
Plastics
Rubber and leather
Textiles
Wood
Other materials
Total Materials in Products
Other wastes
Food, other**
Yard trimmings
Miscellaneous inorganic wastes
Total Other Wastes
TOTAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
Weight
Generated
84.0
12.8
Weight
Recovered
42.0
2.76
Recovery As
a Percent
of Generation
50.0%
21.6%
13.8
3.21
1.74
18.7
28.9
6.70
11.1
13.9
4.57
180.7
4.93
0.69
1.26
6.88
1.65
0.96
1.70
1.31
1.17
58.4
35.8%
21.5%
72.4%
36.8%
5.7%
14.3%
15.3%
9.4%
25.6%
32.3%
29.2
32.1
3.69
65.0
245.7
0.69
19.9
Neg.
20.6
79.0
2.4%
61.9%
Neg.
31.6%
32.1%
Includes waste from residential, commercial, and institutional sources.
* Includes lead from lead-acid batteries.
** Includes recovery of other MSW organics for composting.
Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
Neg. = Less than 5,000 tons or 0.05 percent.
Products in MSW
The breakdown, by weight, of product categories generated in 2005 is shown in Figure
ES-4. Containers and packaging comprised the largest portion of products generated, at 31
percent (76.7 million tons) of total MSW generation. Nondurable goods were the second-largest
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Executive Summary
fraction, at 26 percent (63.7 million tons). The third-largest category of products is durable
goods, which made up 16 percent (40.3 million tons) of total MSW generation.
Figure ES-4: Products Generated in MSW, 2005
(Total Weight = 246 million tons)
The generation and recovery of the product categories in MSW in 2005 are shown in
Table ES-5. This table shows that recovery of containers and packaging was the highest of the
three product categories—39.8 percent of containers and packaging generated in 2005 were
recovered for recycling. About 45 percent of all aluminum cans was recovered (36.3 percent of
all aluminum packaging, including foil), while 63.3 percent of steel packaging (mostly cans) was
recovered. Paper and paperboard containers and packaging were recovered at a rate of 58.8
percent; corrugated containers accounted for most of that amount.
Approximately 25 percent of glass containers was recovered, while about 15 percent of
wood packaging (mostly wood pallets removed from service) was recovered for recycling. More
than 9 percent of plastic containers and packaging were recovered—mostly soft drink, milk, and
water bottles.
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Executive Summary
Table ES-5
GENERATION AND RECOVERY OF PRODUCTS IN MSW
BY MATERIAL, 2005
(in m illons of tons and percent of generation of each product)
Products
Durable Goods
Steel
Aluminum
Other non-ferrous metals*
Total metals
Glass
Plastics
Rubber and leather
Wood
Textiles
Other materials
Total durable goods
Nondurable Goods
Paper and paperboard
Plastics
Rubber and leather
Textiles
Other materials
Total nondurable goods
Containers and Packaging
Steel
Aluminum
Total metals
Glass
Paper and paperboard
Plastics
Wood
Other materials
Total containers and packaging
Other Wastes
Food, other**
Yard trimmings
Miscellaneous inorganic wastes
Total other wastes
TOTAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
Weight
Generated
Weight
Recovered
Recovery as
a Percent
of Generation
11.4
1.08
1.74
14.2
1.83
8.71
5.68
5.37
3.02
1.45
40.3
3.43
Neg.
1.26
4.69
Neg.
0.37
0.96
Neg.
0.28
1.17
7.47
30.1%
Neg.
72.4%
33.0%
Neg.
4.2%
16.9%
Neg.
9.3%
80.7%
18.5%
44.9
6.55
0.99
7.91
3.36
63.7
19.0
Neg.
Neg.
1.42
Neg.
20.5
42.4%
Neg.
Neg.
18.0%
Neg.
32.1%
2.37
1.90
4.27
10.9
39.0
13.7
8.56
0.24
76.7
1.50
0.69
2.19
2.76
22.9
1.28
1.31
Neg.
30.5
63.3%
36.3%
51.3%
25.3%
58.8%
9.4%
15.3%
Neg.
39.8%
29.2
32.1
3.69
65.0
245.7
0.69
19.9
Neg.
20.6
79.0
2.4%
61.9%
Neg.
31.6%
32.1%
Includes waste from residential, commercial, and institutional sources.
* Includes lead from lead-acid batteries.
** Includes recovery of other MSW organics for composting.
Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
Neg. = Less than 5,000 tons or 0.05 percent.
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Executive Summary
Overall recovery of nondurable goods was at 32.1 percent in 2005. Most of this recovery
comes from paper products such as newspapers and high-grade office papers (e.g., white papers).
Newspapers constituted the largest portion of this recovery, with 88.9 percent of newspapers
generated being recovered for recycling. An estimated 62.6 percent of high-grade office papers
and 38.5 percent of magazines was recovered in 2005. Newspaper, high-grade office paper, and
magazine recovery increased in percentage between 2004 and 2005.
Recovery percentage of "Other Commercial Printing" stayed about the same at 10.4
percent. The other paper products in the nondurable goods category increased slightly between
2004 and 2005, with Standard (A) mail* recovered at an estimated 35.8 percent, and directories
at an estimated 18.2 percent.
The nondurable goods category also includes clothing and other textile products—18
percent of these products were recovered for recycling or export in 2005.
Overall, durable goods were recovered at a rate of 18.5 percent in 2005. Nonferrous
metals other than aluminum had one of the highest recovery rates, at 72.4 percent, due to the
high rate of lead recovery from lead-acid batteries. Recovery of steel in all durable goods was
30.1 percent, with high rates of recovery from appliances and other miscellaneous durable goods.
One of the products with a very high recovery rate was lead-acid batteries, recovered at a
rate of 98.8 percent in 2005. Other products with particularly high recovery rates were
newspapers (88.9 percent), corrugated boxes (71.5 percent), major appliances (67.0 percent),
steel packaging (63.3 percent), and aluminum cans (44.8 percent). About 35 percent of rubber
tires were recovered for recycling. (Other tires were retreaded, and shredded rubber tires were
made into tire-derived fuel.)
Standard (A) mail was formerly called Third Class mail by the U.S. Postal Service.
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Executive Summary
RESIDENTIAL AND COMERCIAL SOURCES OF MSW
Sources of MSW, as characterized in this report, include both residential and commercial
locations. We estimated residential waste (including waste from multi-family dwellings) to be 55
to 65 percent of total MSW generation. Commercial waste (including waste from schools, some
industrial sites where packaging is generated, and businesses) constitutes between 35 and 45
percent of MSW. Local and regional factors, such as climate and level of commercial activity,
contribute to these variations.
MANAGEMENT OF MSW
Overview
EPA's integrated waste management hierarchy includes the following four components,
listed in order of preference:
• Source reduction (or waste prevention), including reuse of products and on-site (or
backyard) composting of yard trimmings
• Recycling, including off-site (or community) composting
• Combustion with energy recovery
• Disposal through landfilling or combustion without energy recovery.
Although we encourage the use of strategies that emphasize the top of the hierarchy
whenever possible, all four components remain important within an integrated waste
management system.
Source Reduction
When we first established our waste management hierarchy, we emphasized the
importance of reducing the amount of waste created, reusing whenever possible, and then
recycling whatever is left. When municipal solid waste is reduced and reused, this is called
"source reduction"—meaning the material never enters the waste stream.
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Executive Summary
Source reduction, also called waste prevention, includes the design, manufacture,
purchase, or use of materials, such as products and packaging, to reduce their amount or toxicity
before they enter the MSW management system. Examples of source reduction activities are:
• Designing products or packaging to reduce the quantity or the toxicity of the
materials used or make them easy to reuse.
• Reusing existing products or packaging, such as refillable bottles, reusable pallets,
and reconditioned barrels and drums.
• Lengthening the lives of products such as tires so fewer need to be produced and
therefore fewer need to be disposed of.
• Using packaging that reduces the amount of damage or spoilage to the product.
• Managing nonproduct organic wastes (e.g., food scraps, yard trimmings) through
onsite composting or other alternatives to disposal (e.g., leaving grass clippings on
the lawn).
As the nation has begun to realize the value of its resources, both financial and material,
efforts to reduce waste generation have increased.
Recycling
• Recycling (including community composting) recovered 32.1 percent (79 million
tons) of MSW in 2005.
• There were about 8,550 curbside recycling programs in the United States in 2005.
• About 3,470 yard trimmings composting programs were reported in 2005.
Combustion with Energy Recovery
An estimated 33.4 million tons (13.6 percent) of MSW was combusted with energy
recovery in 2005 (see Tables ES-1 and ES-2), slightly less than the 34.1 million tons estimated in
2004. Combustion with energy recovery increased from 2.7 million tons in 1980 to 29.7 million
tons in 1990. Since 1990, the quantity of MSW combusted with energy recovery has increased
slightly.
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Executive Summary
Disposal
During 2005, about 54.3 percent of MSW was landfilled, down somewhat from 54.8
percent in 2004. As shown in Figure ES-5, the number of MSW landfills decreased substantially
over the past 18 years, from nearly 8,000 in 1988 to 1,654 in 2005—while average landfill size
increased. At the national level, capacity does not appear to be a problem, although regional
dislocations sometimes occur.
• The percentage of MSW landfilled decreased slightly from 2004 to 2005. Over the
long term, the tonnage of MSW landfilled in 1990 was 142.3 million tons (see Table
ES-1), but decreased to 134.8 million tons in 2000. The tonnage increased to 135.5
million tons in 2004, then declined to 133.3 in 2005. The tonnage landfilled results
from an interaction among generation, recycling, and combustion with energy
recovery, which do not necessarily rise and fall at the same time.
• The net per capita discard rate (after materials recovery and combustion with energy
recovery) was 2.46 pounds per person per day, down from 3.12 pounds per person per
day in 1990, down from the 2.62 pounds per person per day in 2000 (Table ES-3).
MSW recovered for recycling (including composting), combusted with energy recovery,
and discarded in 2005 is shown in Figure ES-6. In 2005, 79.0 millions tons (32.1 percent) of
MSW were recycled, 33.4 million tons (13.6 percent) were combusted with energy recovery, and
133.3 million tons (54.3 percent) were landfilled or otherwise disposed. (Relatively small
amounts of this total undoubtedly were incinerated without energy recovery, littered, or illegally
dumped rather than landfilled.)
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Executive Summary
Figure ES-5: Number of Landfills in the United States,
1988-2005
4,000 -
2,000 -
n -
7,924
7
37
9
6
32
6
5817
5
38
6
4
48
2
3,558
3
19
7 3,091
2,514
|-| 2>314 2216
j— i 1,967 ^858
1 — 1 ' ^^
data not I — I
available
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
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Executive Summary
Figure ES-6: Management of MSW in the United States, 2005
Combustion with Energy
Recovery 13.6%
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
This report and related additional data are available on the Internet at
.
United States
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste (5306P)
EPA530-S-06-001
October 2006
www. epa. gov/osw
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