The State of Garbage in America

BIOCYCLE, in collaboration with the Earth Engineering Center (EEC) of Columbia University, conducts the biennial State of Garbage In America survey on the generation and management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States.

by Rob van Haaren, Nickolas Themelis and Nora Goldstein

The State of Garbage In America Report, launched by BioCycle in 1989, is unique in that actual tonnage data is collected from each individual
state, with waste characterization studies solely used for validation of the numbers. This is the 17th nationwide survey, reporting data from calendar year 2008. The data was gathered during the spring of 2010, using an Excel form that was e-mailed to the solid waste management Departments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. All entries were checked and validated using results of former State of Garbage in America reports, EPA waste characterization studies, and also a survey of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF) carried out by Eileen Berenyi of Government Advisory Associates (GAA). We greatly appreciate the time spent and the contributions made by the solid waste and recycling officials listed at the end of this report. Thanks to their help and expertise, we can present the 2010 edition of "The State of Garbage in America.” All tonnages are reported in U.S. tons (1.1 U.S. ton = 1 metric ton).

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published: Earth Engineering Center (EEC) of Columbia University, 10|2010
Keywords: United States of America