Wasting Resources:Examining Our MSW

Selected U.S. and CharMeck Data from 1997-2009

Derrick WillardProvidence Day School

Municipal1.5%

Sewage sludge1%

Mining and oiland gas

production75% Industry

9.5%Agriculture

13%

From Miller, WWE 10th ed., Figure 15-2 (pg. 348). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Bureau of Mines

Sources of 12 Billion Tons of U.S. Solid Wastes Each Year…

*Note MSW is low!

What material dominates our MSW waste stream in the USA?

http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/

Contact the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). DMA is the oldest and largest trade association for the users and suppliers in the direct, database and interactive marketing field. You can use the DMA website to request their no cost Mail Preference Service (MPS). With DMA's MPS you can remove your name from DMA member prospect lists. Please note that signing up with MPS may prevent you from receiving mail you want, such as new catalogs, coupons, announcements about new businesses in your community, and notices of special offers. But, this can significantly reduce your “junk mail” load (at least 75%).

If you want to REDUCE your paper MSW, here is an easy first step:

https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action

Source: State of the Environment Report, 1997, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Mecklenburg County (last available)

http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/

US Total & Per Capita Production

Source: State of the Environment Report, 1997, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Mecklenburg County Per Capita Production (last available)

What does the US currently do with MSW?

Source: EPA Office of Solid Waste, Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal Facts and Figures 2009http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2009-fs.pdf

Landfill(bury)

Recycle or Compost

Incinerate(burn)

Recycling has been on the rise since the 1980’s…why?

http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/

We do have many programs for our country in place today…

We do have many programs for CharMeck in place today…

Source: State of the Environment Report, 1997, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

But most (54%) of our MSW still goes to landfills…

Modern Sanitary Landfill

Eventually these have to be closed…

Source: State of the Environment Report, 1997, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

What do we (USA) recycle?

• 35% of total MSW is biodegradable and possible to compost, but only 5% is composted

• 41% of wastepaper & cardboard

• 5% of plastics by total weight

• 50% of aluminum cans

• 65% of steel

• 31% of glass containers

Source: Miller ESPCS text, 12th ed. and EPA

Why would recycling rates vary so much by material?

http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/

What can and can’t go in CharMeck new green bins…

http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/SWS/CurbIt/Recycling/Pages/Home.aspx

Why Don’t We Recycle More?

• Environmental costs are not passed on to consumers in market prices (cheap goods)

• Most government subsidies are for those extracting virgin materials

• Fees/charges for dumping in landfills are low

• Lack of large, steady markets for all recycled materials (varies by material)

• Source separation inconvenient?

Solutions?• Taxing virgin resource extraction and ending

mining subsidies?• “Pay-as-you-throw” systems?• Requiring government funded agencies to

increase demand and lower prices by purchasing more recyclables?

• Pass “take-back” (cradle-to-grave) laws for manufacturing (like some European nations)?

• Labeling of postconsumer vs. preconsumer recycled content?

Source: State of the Environment Report, 1997, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Next: What do with do with the really “bad” stuff?