Did You Know?
Humans produced over half the world’s emissions of methane. Between 2016-2022 52% of the U.S. landfills from across 18 states, leaked methane emissions into the air. Municipal Solid Waste figures in 2018, show that the U.S. produced 292.4 million tons of waste, 23.7 million more than the previous year. For 2020, the national MSW landfill tip fee cost to transport waste out of state average was $53.72 per ton. Connecticut is the one state without any landfill activity and all waste must be transported. In 2022, each United States citizen produced over 1,787 lbs., about half ends up in a landfill. This makes the United States the largest generator of waste in the world.
When the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority in Connecticut closed in July of 2022, the annual export of waste increased from 17% to 40%. In March 2023, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, 23% of municipal solid waste is paper goods and 12% plastic waste. One strong proposal for a common charger for all phones has been promoted not only as a matter of convenience, but also to reduce electronic waste. Chargers have been estimated to produce more than 56,217 tons of waste annually in the European Union. One innovation in development is that of a universal charger would greatly reduce plastic and electronic waste.
Total Municipal Solid Waste Generated by Material, EPA, 2018
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| Waste Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Paper and Paperboard | 23.05% |
| Food | 21.59% |
| Plastics | 12.20% |
| Yard Trimmings | 12.11% |
| Metals | 8.76% |
| Wood | 6.19% |
| Textiles | 5.83% |
| Glass | 4.19% |
| Rubber and Leather | 3.13% |
| Other | 1.56% |
| Misc. Inorganic Wastes | 1.39% |
Resources
- Daniel H. Cusworth et al. “Quantifying methane emissions from United States landfills.” Science, (2024)
- Environmental Protection Agency, “National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling.” 2025
- Statista. “Average cost to landfill municipal solid waste in the United States from 2020 to 2022.” Statista.com (2023)
- BioCycle. “Average U.S. MSW Landfill Tip Fee is 53.72/Ton” BioCycle.net. (2021)