share of total waste disposal that year. In 1960, 5.61 million metric tons of MSW were recycled. Since then the volume of recycled materials has increased massively, rising to 69 million metric tons in 2018. The most recycled material in the U.S. is paper and paperboard.
Every year hundreds of millions of tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) is landfilled in the U.S., making it the most common waste disposal method in the country. In 2018, approximately 146 million metric tons of MSW materials were landfilled, accounting for a 50 percent Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by way of disposal (in million metric tons)
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Other statistics that may interest you Municipal solid waste in the U.S.
Overview
4
- Premium Statistic Global population and MSW generation shares by key country 2018
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Generation
5
- Basic Statistic Municipal solid waste generation in the U.S. 1960-2018
- Basic Statistic Per capita municipal solid waste generation in the U.S. 1960-2018
- Basic Statistic Municipal solid waste generation in the U.S. 1960-2018, by material
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Landfill
6
- Premium Statistic Municipal solid waste disposal methods in the U.S. 2018
- Premium Statistic Municipal solid waste landfilled in the U.S. 1960-2018, by material
- Premium Statistic Breakdown of landfilled municipal solid waste materials in the U.S. 2018, by type
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Recycling
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- Basic Statistic Municipal solid waste recycled in the U.S. 1960-2018
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Companies
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- Premium Statistic Leading waste management companies in the U.S. 2024, by market cap
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- Basic Statistic Waste Management Inc's operating revenue 2010-2023
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Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by way of disposal (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by way of disposal (in million metric tons)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed June 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by way of disposal (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Municipal Solid Waste Generation in The United States from 1960 to 2018, by Way of Disposal (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency, Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by way of disposal (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/ (last visited June 15, 2024)
Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by way of disposal (in million metric tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/