Landfill Waste Peaked in 1990
The EPA spent five years developing its 2008 Report on the Environment, which was released today and has some interesting findings on the evolution of recycling.
Our waste output has almost tripled (from 88 million to 251 million tons) from 1960-2006, but the amount of landfilled waste was at its highest in 1990 (142 million tons). We now average 135 million tons of landfilled waste, due in large part to increased popularity of composting. In 2006, 32.5 percent of our waste was recycled or composted.
Other items of note from the report:
- Recycling participation showed its steepest increase between 1980 and 2000
- Toxic waste in landfills has decreased by more than 15 percent since 1998
- One major emerging issue is the proper disposal of pharmaceuticals
The 366 page report was designed not as a report card for our current initiatives, but to assist with year-to-year comparisons and planning.
Help keep toxic waste out of our landfills by Earth 911′s recycling locator.
