Visualizing Environmental Science

Solid Waste 399

0

2

4

6

8

10

Total MSW generation (million metric tons)

Per capita MSW generation (kg per person)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Total MSW generation

Per-capita MSW generation

Courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the UnitedStates: Facts and Figures for 2010.

both population growth and behavioral changes affect

our impacts on the environment.

Municipal solid waste makes up only a small propor-

tion—less than 2 percent—of the

total solid waste produced each

day. Nonmunicipal solid waste,

which includes mining, agricul-

tural, and industrial wastes, is

produced in substantially larger

amounts. Most solid waste generated in the United States

is from nonmunicipal sources.

waste is a heterogeneous mixture composed primar-
ily of paper and paperboard; yard waste; plastics; food
waste; metals; rubber, leather, and textiles; wood; and
glass (Figure 16.2). The proportions of the major types
of solid waste in this mixture change over time. Today’s
solid waste contains more paper and plastics than in
the past, whereas the amounts of glass and steel have
declined. The total amount of municipal solid waste pro-
duced in the United States in 2010 was 2.8 times as much
as in 1960, while per-person waste generation increased
by a factor of only 1.7 (Figure 16.3). This shows how

nonmunicipal

solid waste Solid

waste generated by

industry, agriculture,

and mining.

Mining

76%

Agriculture

13%

Municipal

solid waste

1.5%

a. Composition of Total Solid Waste, 2010

Industry

9.5%

b. Composition of Municipal Solid Waste, 2010

Food

waste

13.9%

Plastics

12.4%

Metals

9.0%

Glass

4.6%

Wood

6.4%

Rubber,

leather and

textiles

8.4%

Other

3.4%

Paper and

paperboard

28.5%

Yard

waste

13.4%

Based on data from United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2010 Based on data from United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2010

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Total and per-capita municipal

solid waste in the United States,

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Until the past few years, total production of

municipal solid waste in the United States

increased every five years. Individual waste

production increased as well, reaching a plateau

around 1990. The recent decrease in total and

per-capita production are attributable to the

economic downturn that began in 2008.

Interpreting Data

In what year did total waste reach a

maximum? What about per-capita

waste? What accounts for the difference?