Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists of everyday items people use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps and papers. In 2018, Americans generated about 292.4 million short tons (265.3 Mt)
of trash. In the US, landfills are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the states' environmental agencies. Municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLF) are required to be designed to protect the environment from contaminants that may
be present in the solid waste stream.
Some materials may be banned from disposal in municipal solid waste landfills including common household items such as paints, cleaners/chemicals, motor oil, batteries, pesticides, and electronics. These products, if mishandled, can be dangerous to
health and the environment, creating leachate into water bodies and groundwater, and landfill gas contributes to air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Safe management of solid waste through guidance, technical assistance, regulations, permitting,
environmental monitoring, compliance evaluation and enforcement is the goal of the EPA and state environmental agencies.
Statistics
The EPA has collected and reported data on the generation and disposal of waste in the US for more than 30 years. Recent estimates state that the amount of municipal waste disposed of in US landfills per year is about 265 million tonnes (261,000,000 long
tons; 292,000,000 short tons) as of 2013.
Organic materials are estimated to be the largest component of MSW. Paper and paperboard account for 29% and yard trimmings and food scraps account for another 27%; plastics 12%; metals 9%, rubber, leather and textiles 8%; wood is approximately 6.4% and
glass 5%. Other miscellaneous wastes make up approximately 3.4%.
In 2010, Americans recovered almost 65 million tons of MSW (excluding composting) through recycling. Between 1980 and 2013, waste disposed in landfills decreased from 89% to under 53%.
In 2013, about 32.7 million tons of MSW were combusted for energy recovery.
Research has shown that leachate treatment facilities at modern landfills are capable of removing 100% of the trace organics and over 85 percent of the heavy metals.
The Puente Hills Landfill is the largest landfill in America. Over 490 ft of garbage has risen from the ground since the area became a designated landfill site in 1957.
In 1986, there were 7,683 landfills in the US. By 2009, there were just 1,908 landfills nationwide: a 75% decline in disposal facilities in less than 25 years. However, this number is deceptive. Much of the decrease is due to consolidation of multiple
landfills into a single, more efficient facility. Also technology has allowed for each acre of landfill to take 30% more waste. So during this time, the available landfill per person has increased by almost 30%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfills_in_the_United_States
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