Municipal Solid Waste - EPA Archives

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)—more commonly known as trash or garbage—consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product ... Jumptomaincontent. Wastes-Non-HazardousWaste-MunicipalSolidWaste Youarehere:EPAHome Wastes MunicipalSolidWaste MunicipalSolidWaste RelatedLinks SustainableMaterialsManagement MunicipalSolidWastePublications AdvancingSustainableMaterialsManagement:FactsandFigures Non-HazardousWasteManagementHierarchy Reduce,Reuse,Recycle CheckoutournewinfographiconMSW! MunicipalSolidWaste(MSW)—morecommonlyknownastrashorgarbage—consistsofeverydayitemsweuseand thenthrowaway,suchasproductpackaging,grassclippings,furniture,clothing,bottles,foodscraps,newspapers, appliances,paint,andbatteries.Thiscomesfromourhomes,schools,hospitals,andbusinesses. EachyearEPAproducesareportcalledAdvancingSustainableMaterialsManagement:FactsandFigures2013,formerlycalledMunicipalSolidWasteintheUnitedStates:FactsandFigures.ItincludesinformationonMSWgeneration,recycling,anddisposal. After30yearsoftrackingMSW,thereporthasbeenexpandedtoincludeadditionalinformationonsourcereduction(wasteprevention)ofMSW,informationonhistoricallandfilltippingfeesforMSW,andinformationonconstructionanddemolitiondebrisgeneration,whichisoutsideofthescopeofMSW. Thenewnamealsoemphasizestheimportanceofsustainablematerialsmanagement(SMM).SMMreferstotheuseandreuseofmaterialsinthemostproductiveandsustainablewaysacrosstheirentirelifecycle.SMMpracticesconserveresources,reducewastes,slowclimatechangeandminimizetheenvironmentalimpactsofthematerialsweuse. In2013,Americansgeneratedabout254milliontonsoftrashandrecycledandcompostedabout87milliontonsofthis material,equivalenttoa34.3percentrecyclingrate.Onaverage,werecycledandcomposted1.51poundsofour individualwastegenerationof4.40poundsperpersonperday(Figure1andFigure2). EPAencouragespracticesthatreducetheamountofwasteneedingtobedisposedof,suchaswasteprevention, recycling,andcomposting. Figure1.MSWGenerationRates,1960-2013+Viewinformationintextformat+Viewenlargedimage Figure2.MSWRecyclingRates,1960-2013+Viewinformationintextformat+Viewenlargedimage Figure3.RecyclingRatesofSelectedProducts,2013** Mechanicalpapersincludedirectories,newspaperinserts,andsomeadvertisementanddirectmailprinting.+Viewinformationintextformat+Viewenlargedimage Sourcereduction,orwasteprevention,isdesigningproductstoreducetheamountofwastethatwilllaterneedtobethrownawayandalsotomaketheresultingwastelesstoxic. Recyclingistherecoveryofusefulmaterials,suchaspaper,glass,plastic,andmetals,fromthetrashtousetomakenewproducts,reducingtheamountofvirginrawmaterialsneeded. Compostinginvolvescollectingorganicwaste,suchasfoodscrapsandyardtrimmings,andstoringitunderconditionsdesignedtohelpitbreakdownnaturally.Thisresultingcompostcanthenbeusedasanaturalfertilizer. In2013,newspapers/mechanicalpapersrecoverywasabout67percent(5.4milliontons),andabout60percentofyardtrimmingswererecovered(Figure3).OrganicmaterialscontinuetobethelargestcomponentofMSW.Paperandpaperboardaccountfor27percentandyardtrimmingsandfoodaccountforanother28percent.Plasticscompriseabout13percent;metalsmakeup9percent;andrubber,leather,andtextilesaccountfor9percent.Woodfollowsataround6percentandglassat5percent.Othermiscellaneouswastesmakeupapproximately3percentoftheMSWgeneratedin2013(Figure4). ThissectiondescribestherequirementsfordisposalandcombustionofMunicipalSolidWaste: Landfillsareengineeredareaswherewasteisplacedintotheland.Landfillsusuallyhavelinersystemsandothersafeguardstopreventpollutingthegroundwater. EnergyRecoveryfromWasteistheconversionofnon-recyclablewastematerialsintouseableheat,electricity,orfuel. TransferStationsarefacilitieswheremunicipalsolidwasteisunloadedfromcollection vehiclesandbrieflyheldwhileitisreloadedontolarger,long-distancetransportvehiclesforshipmenttolandfills orothertreatmentordisposalfacilities. ResourceConservation Recyclingandcompostingprevented87.2milliontonsofmaterialawayfrombeingdisposedin2013,upfrom15 milliontonsin1980.Thispreventedthereleaseofapproximately186millionmetrictonsofcarbondioxideequivalent intotheairin2013—equivalenttotakingover39millioncarsofftheroadforayear.Learnmoreabouthow commonwastesandmaterials,includingfoodandyardwastes,paper, metals,andelectronics,contributetoMSWgenerationandhowtheycanberecycled. Figure4.TotalMSWGeneration(byMaterial),2013 254MillionTons(beforerecycling) +Viewinformationintextformat +Viewenlargedimage     LocalNavigation WastesHome Non-HazardousWasteHome MunicipalSolidWasteHome Landfills TransferStations EnergyRecoveryfromWaste BackyardBurning InformationResources EPAHome Accessibility PrivacyandSecurity ContactUs Jumptomaincontent.