Please click here to see any active alerts. EPA began collecting and reporting data on the generation and disposition of waste in the United States more than 35 years ago. The Agency uses this information to measure the success of materials management programs across the country and to characterize the national waste stream. These Facts and Figures are current through calendar year The total generation of municipal solid waste MSW in was Of the MSW generated, approximately 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million tons were composted.
Together, almost 94 million tons of MSW were recycled and composted, equivalent to a An additional For more information on food management, see Food: Material-Specific Data. In addition, nearly 35 million tons of MSW These items include bottles and corrugated boxes, food, grass clippings, sofas, computers, tires and refrigerators.
Management of MSW continues to be a high priority for state and local governments. This includes the source reduction of wastes before they enter the waste stream and the recovery of generated waste for recycling, composting or other methods.
It also includes environmentally sound waste management through combustion with energy recovery and conversion, as well as landfilling practices that meet current standards or newly emerging waste conversion technologies. EPA developed the non-hazardous materials and waste management hierarchy in recognition that no single waste management approach is suitable for managing all materials and waste streams in all circumstances.
The hierarchy ranks the various management strategies from most to least environmentally preferred. The hierarchy places emphasis on reducing, reusing, and recycling as key to sustainable materials management. The total generation of MSW in was This is an increase from the Per capita MSW generation increased from 4.
See Food: Material-Specific Data. Paper and paperboard products made up the largest percentage of all the materials in MSW, at Generation of paper and paperboard products declined from Generation of newspapers has been declining since , and this trend is expected to continue, partly due to decreased page size, but mainly due to the increased digitization of news. The generation of office-type high grade papers also has been in decline, due at least partially to activities such as the increased use of the electronic transmission of reports.
Paper and paperboard products have ranged between Food waste comprised the fourth largest material category, estimated at Yard trimmings comprised the next largest material category, estimated at This compares to 35 million tons The decline in yard trimmings generation since is largely due to state legislation discouraging yard trimmings disposal in landfills, including source reduction measures such as backyard composting and leaving grass trimmings on the yard.
In , plastic products generation was This was an increase of 4. The quantity of waste recovered , in other words recycled, used for backfilling the use of waste in excavated areas for the purpose of slope reclamation or safety or for engineering purposes in landscaping or incinerated with energy recovery grew by The quantity of waste subject to disposal decreased from 1 million tonnes in to million tonnes in , which was a decrease of 4.
The share of disposal in total waste treatment decreased from As stated above, in the EU in , more than a half The remaining Significant differences could be observed among the EU Member States regarding the use they made of these various treatment methods.
In total, In , In order to monitor the implementation of waste policy, in particular compliance with the principles of recovery and safe disposal, reliable statistics on the production and management of waste from businesses and private households are required. Starting with reference year , the Regulation requires EU Member States to provide data on the generation, recovery and disposal of waste every two years.
Data on waste generation and treatment are currently available for even reference years from to The European Green Deal aims to promote growth by transitioning to a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. As part of this transition, several EU waste laws will be reviewed. For more information see "Waste and recycling" [1]. Tools What links here Special pages.
Data extracted in April Planned article update: September Waste generation, Full article. Technology is not a panacea and is usually only one factor to consider when managing solid waste. Countries that advance from open dumping and other rudimentary waste management methods are more likely to succeed when they select locally appropriate solutions.
Globally, most waste is currently dumped or disposed of in some form of a landfill. Some 37 percent of waste is disposed of in some form of a landfill, 8 percent of which is disposed of in sanitary landfills with landfill gas collection systems. Open dumping accounts for about 31 percent of waste, 19 percent is recovered through recycling and composting, and 11 percent is incinerated for final disposal. Adequate waste disposal or treatment, such as controlled landfills or more stringently operated facilities, is almost exclusively the domain of high- and upper-middle-income countries.
Lower-income countries generally rely on open dumping; 93 percent of waste is dumped in low-income countries and only 2 percent in high-income countries. Upper-middle-income countries have the highest percentage of waste in landfills, at 54 percent. This rate decreases in high-income countries to 39 percent, with diversion of 36 percent of waste to recycling and composting and 22 percent to incineration.
Incineration is used primarily in high-capacity, high-income, and land-constrained countries. Based on the volume of waste generated, its composition, and how it is managed, it is estimated that 1. This is driven primarily by disposing of waste in open dumps and landfills without landfill gas collection systems.
Solid waste—related emissions are anticipated to increase to 2. In most countries, solid waste management operations are typically a local responsibility, and nearly 70 percent of countries have established institutions with responsibility for policy development and regulatory oversight in the waste sector. About two-thirds of countries have created targeted legislation and regulations for solid waste management, though enforcement varies drastically. Direct central government involvement in waste service provision, other than regulatory oversight or fiscal transfers, is uncommon, with about 70 percent of waste services being overseen directly by local public entities.
0コメント