Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and

Disposal in the U.S. for 2006

U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste

November 2007

Waste Management Hierarchy

• Avoid

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

• Recover

• Dispose

Most Desirable

Least Desirable

Waste Generation

Total Annual Waste Generation: 2.6 Billion Tons

Municipal Solid Waste Generation in 2006 251 Million Tons

Paper 33. 9%

Glass 5.3%Metals 7.6%

Plastics 11.7%

Other 3.3%

Food Scraps 12.4%

Yard Trimmings 12.9 %

Wood 5.5%

Rubber, leather, and textiles 7.3%

EPA 2006 Facts and Figures

Waste Generation Rates 1960-2006

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

To

tal W

aste

gen

erat

ion

(m

illio

n t

on

s)

0

2

4

6

8

10

Per

Cap

ita

gen

erat

ion

(lb

s/p

erso

n/d

ay)

Total Waste generation Per capita generation

Franklin Report 2003

How Waste is Managed

• Land Disposal

55.4%• Combustion

12.5%• Recovery

32.5%

Combustion12.5%

MSW Management in the U.S.

Recovery32.5%

Land Disposal55.%

Franklin Report 2003

Waste Recycling Rates 1960-2006

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

To

tal

Was

te R

ecyc

lin

g (

mil

lio

n t

on

s)

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

Per

cen

t o

f G

ener

atio

n R

ecyc

led

Total MSW recycling Percent recycling

Franklin Report 2003

What is being recycled in 2006?

82 Million Tons of MSW

• 51.6 % of all paper

• 71% of Corrugated

• 62% of Yard Trimmings

• 99% of Automobile Batteries

• 45% of Aluminum Cans

Composting: Food and Yard Waste

• 67million tons of organic material generated in 2006– 31.3 million tons of food

waste– 32.4 million tons of yard

trimmings

• 62% of yard trimmings was composted, 2% of food waste composted

32.433.1

20.1

0.68

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Food Wastes YardTrimmings

Mill

ion

s o

f to

ns

Generation Recovery for Composting

Number of Landfills in the U.S.

79247379

63265812

5386

4482

35583197 3091

2514 2314 2216 1967 1858 1767 1754

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

Franklin Report 2003

Combustion• 31.4 million tons

(12.5%) of the total wastes generated

in 2006 were combusted

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Pe

rce

nt

of

To

tal G

en

era

tio

n

Combustion Trend

Recycling Goals for the U.S.

• 1980 9.6%

• 2000 30%

• Goal: By 2008 Reach 35%

• Goal: By 2011 Reach 40%

Benefits of Waste Prevention and Recycling

• Greenhouse gas prevention: Current national recycling rate of 32% reduces ghg emissions by 49.7 million tons of carbon equivalent – this is the same reduction you would get by taking 39.4million cars off the road for a year.

• Provides feedstock for industry: 42% aluminum. 38% paper feedstock, 67% steel

Total value of materials=$3.9 billion.

• Energy Savings: Recycling saves the equivalent amount of energy as found in 11.9 billion gallons of gasoline

Energy-Waste ConnectionEnergy Savings per ton

of material recycled

Energy Savings Per Ton Recycled(Million Btu)

206.9106.1

83.156.5

53.451.4

44.020.5

16.915.7

11.910.2

5.32.7

1.10.70.6

Aluminum CansCarpet

Copper WireLDPE

PETHDPE

Personal ComputersSteel Cans

New spaperCorrugated Cardboard

PhonebooksOffice Paper

Fly Ash

GlassMagazines/third class mail

TextbooksAggregate

Million Btu/ton

Average National Revenues for Recycled Commodities

June 2000 through August 2006

Future Directions

U.S. 2020 Vision Goals

1. Reduce wastes and increase the efficient sustainable use of resources.

2. Prevent exposures to humans and ecosystems from the use of hazardous chemicals.

3. Manage wastes and clean up chemical releases in a safe, environmentally sound manner.

Benefits to Fulfilling the Vision

• Human Health– Risk reductions– Improved living

• Ecosystem Protection– Removing hazards– Restoring land

• Material and Energy Savings– Sustainability– Conservation