“Humans are consuming resources and producing waste at a greater scale than ever before and per capita consumption levels are projected to increase with continued development.” – UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
The Facts
- In 2013, Americans
- Generated about 254 million of trash
- Generate 4.3 pounds of waste per day
- 6 pounds more than most produced back in 1960
- Recycled and composted over 87 million tons of this material, which provided an annual reduction of 186 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions = annual emissions from over 39 million passenger cars
- That’s a 34.3% recycling rate
- Within just 1 year, ½ to ¾ of annual global resource inputs to industrial economies is returned to the environment as wastes
- In the U.S.
- Approximately 55% of 220 million tons of waste end up in 1 of the over 3,500 landfills
- Landfills are taking in more than twice as much solid waste than thought
- The average landfill has enough capacity for another 30 to 40 years of use
- Landfills are the 2nd largest source of human-related methane emissions 22% of methane emissions
- Methane emissions contribute to global warming
- Landfills are intended for waste containment, not waste elimination
- Trash doesn’t go anywhere
- Approximately 2/3 of the household waste can be composted
- We are capable of processing 2 billion pounds of soda bottles,
- yet we currently only collect 1.4 billion annually
- We dispose of nearly half of our cans,
- which are valued at nearly $1 billion
- Glass recycling capacity exceeds supply
- 96% of Americans have access to paper recycling
The Garbage
What’s in America’s Trash?
- Durable Goods: over 51 million tons or 20.3%
- Steel
- Aluminum
- Other non-ferrous metals
- Glass
- Plastics
- Rubber and leather
- Wood
- Textiles
- Other materials
- Nondurable Goods: over 51 million tons or 20.3%
- Paper and paperboard
- Plastics
- Rubber and leather
- Textiles
- Other materials
- Containers and Packaging: 75 million tons or 29.8%
- Steel
- Aluminum
- Glass
- Paper and paperboard
- Plastics
- Wood
- Other materials
- Food: 37 million tons or 14.6%
- Yard Trimmings: 34 million tons or 13.5%
- Other Wastes: 4 million tons or 1.5%
Trashing the Trash
- In 2005, 17% of all MSW generated in the U.S. crossed at least one state line before it was disposed of
- That’s 42 million tons of MSW
- Trash trade among states represent a $4 billion industry
- It costs only 10-15 cents to move 1 ton of garbage for 1 mile
- It can often be cheaper to ship waste to states with low tipping fees than to dispose of it locally
- Alabama has one of the lowest landfill tipping fees in the country
- Its landfills are permitted to receive 19 million tons of garbage annually
- That’s 5 times more than what is produced in the state
- Its landfills are permitted to receive 19 million tons of garbage annually
The Top 3 Trash Importing and Exporting States
- Top 3 Net Trash Exporters
#1 New York 6.8 million tons
#2 New Jersey 4.2 million tons
#3 Illinois 3.1 million tons
- Top 3 Net Trash Importers
#1 Pennsylvania 10 million tons
#2 Virginia 5.7 million tons
#3 Michigan 5.4 million tons
