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Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the United States: Facts and Figures
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The MSW Characterization fact sheet and data tables provide the most recent available data on annual US waste generation, recycling, and disposal, as well as the benefits of recycling.
2010 MSW Characterization Reports
The 2010 MSW Characterization fact sheet and data tables were published in November 2011. There have been some revisions made to the data and a revised report has been published. A description of these changes can be found here.
- 2010 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet (PDF) (12 pp,1.34 MB)
- 2010 Data Tables (PDF) (58 pp, 805K)
- Methodology for MSW Characterization Numbers (PDF) (12 pp, 65K)
- Methodology for Estimating MSW Recycling Benefits (PDF) (11 pp, 101K)
The full report, which is released every two years, contains data on:
- MSW generation, recovery, and disposal from 1960 to 2009;
- Per capita generation and discard rates;
- Source reduction (waste prevention);
- Materials and products that are in the waste stream;
- Aggregate data on the infrastructure for MSW management, including estimates of the number of curbside recycling programs, composting programs, and landfills in the US; and
- Trends in MSW management from 1960 to 2009, including source reduction, recycling and composting, and disposal via combustion and landfilling.
MSW Characterization Reports from Previous Years
- 2009 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet (PDF) (12 pp, 1.2MB)
- 2009 Facts and Figures Full Report (PDF) (198 pp, 2.4MB)
- 2008 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet (PDF) (12 pp, 1.2MB)
- 2008 Data Tables (PDF) (58 pp, 945.86K)
- 2007 Facts and Figures (PDF) (177 pp, 5.8MB)
- 2007 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet (PDF) (12 pp, 506K)
- 2006 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet (PDF)(11 pp, 882K)
- 2006 Data Tables (PDF) (56 pp, 2.4MB)
- 2005 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet (PDF) (12 pp, 532K)
- 2005 Facts and Figures (PDF) (164 pp, 2.5MB)
- 2003 Facts and Figures Fact Sheet (PDF) (12 pp, 626K)
- 2003 Data Tables (PDF) (40 pp, 7MB)
- 2001 Facts and Figures (PDF) (183 pp, 850K)
- 2000 (PDF) (177 pp, 842K)
- 1999 (PDF) (144 pp, 425K)
- 1998 (PDF) (167 pp, 924K)
- 1998 Data Tables (PDF) (36 pp, 153K)
- 1997 (PDF) (182 pp, 560K)
- 1996 (PDF) (168 pp, 515K)
- 1995 (PDF) (144 pp, 299K)
