By weight, food is the most landfilled material in the United States' municipal solid waste stream, with 35.3 million tons discarded in 2018. Paper and paperboard was once the most landfilled MSW material, but increased recycling over the years has seen the amount of paper and paperboard sent to landfills drop by 60 percent since 1990. The increasing demand for plastics since the 1960's has seen the volume of this material landfilled increase from 0.39 million tons to 27 million tons. Despite the growth of recycling and combustion with energy recovery, landfilling remains the main waste disposal method in the U.S.
Volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by material*
(in million tons)
*Landfilling after recycling, composting, other food management pathways and combustion with energy recovery. Does not include construction &
demolition debris, industrial process wastes or certain other wastes.
**miscellaneous inorganic wastes in municipal solid waste (MSW) in this analysis includes soil, bits of concrete, and stones.
**** Includes electrolytes in batteries and fluff pulp, feces and urine in disposable diapers.
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Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by material* (in million tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1231960/municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by material* (in million tons)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1231960/municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by material* (in million tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1231960/municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Volume of Municipal Solid Waste (Msw) Landfilled in The United States from 1960 to 2018, by Material* (in Million Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1231960/municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency, Volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by material* (in million tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1231960/municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by material* (in million tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1231960/municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
