Food accounted for roughly a quarter of municipal solid waste landfilled in the United States in 2018. This was followed by plastics, which represented the second largest share with 18.5 percent. The volume of MSW landfilled in the U.S. has increased by 77 percent since 1960 to 146 million tons.
Distribution of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States in 2018, by material*
* 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. Details may not add to totals due to rounding. ** Includes electrolytes in batteries and fluff pulp, feces and urine in disposable diapers. *** Miscellaneous inorganic wastes in municipal solid waste (MSW) in this analysis includes soil, bits of concrete, and stones.
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Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Distribution of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States in 2018, by material* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232038/breakdown-municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Distribution of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States in 2018, by material*." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed June 30, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232038/breakdown-municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Distribution of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States in 2018, by material*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 30, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232038/breakdown-municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Distribution of Municipal Solid Waste (Msw) Landfilled in The United States in 2018, by Material*." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232038/breakdown-municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/
Environmental Protection Agency, Distribution of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled in the United States in 2018, by material* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232038/breakdown-municipal-solid-waste-landfilled-in-the-us-by-material/ (last visited June 30, 2022)
