WASTE HISTORY
MSW Management Pathways
Since 1960, the increasing adoption of recycling, composting, and combustion with energy recovery technologies has helped manage a portion of waste management responsibilities in the United States.
Despite these advancements, still about 50% of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is landfilled today, compared to approximately 94% in 1960 (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Historic Municipal Solid Waste Managements Pathways (EPA, 2018).
Durable Goods
Durable Goods are made of metals, plastics, wood, glass, rubber, leather, textiles, and electronic components.
These oversized and bulky products require specialized handling by MSW managers.
Historically, these items weren't sorted and were indiscriminately mixed with other MSW in unlined trench-and-fill landfills.
This practice evolved following the introduction of the Solid Waste Act of 1984, which mandated improved handling procedures for durable goods.
About 66% of Durable Goods produced today are disposed of in landfills, a significant reduction from the ~96% landfill rate in 1960, as illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Historic Durable Goods Waste Managements Pathways (EPA, 2018).
Major Appliances
Major Appliances, or “White Goods”, like refrigerators, water heaters, and washing machines are made of ferrous metals, plastics, glass, and non-ferrous metals.
The Solid Waste Act of 1984 mandated that Major Appliances be sorted separately from other MSW, a shift from the previous practice of mixing them with general waste.
Roughly 40% of Major Appliances generated today are landfilled, vs. ~99% in 1960 (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Historic Major Appliances Waste Managements Pathways (EPA, 2018).
Small Appliances
Small Appliances like coffee pots, toasters, and hair dryers are made of plastics, various metals (i.e., steel, aluminum, and copper), and electronic components.
Unlike Major Appliances that can be sorted separately due to their size and components, Small Appliances are usually disposed of with regular household trash.
Approximately 76% of Small Appliances produced today are landfilled, compared to ~78% in 1990 when this type of data was first tracked (Figure 4). Presumably, most, if not all Small Appliances generated in 1960 would have been landfilled.
Figure 4. Historic Small Appliances Waste Managements Pathways (EPA, 2018).
Miscellaneous Durable Goods
Miscellaneous Durable Goods, including electronics, computers, TVs, sports equipment, and luggage are made up of ferrous metals, plastics, glass, rubber, wood, and non-ferrous metals.
Similar to Small Appliances, Miscellaneous Durable Goods are often mixed with other MSW due to their varied sizes and materials.
Approximately 76% of Miscellaneous Durable Goods produced today are landfilled, compared with nearly 100% landfilling rates in 1960 (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Historic Miscellaneous Durables Waste Management Pathways (EPA, 2018).
Aluminum Metals
The primary source of Aluminum Metals in MSW is aluminum cans and other packaging materials. Additionally, aluminum is present in various durable and nondurable items, including furniture and appliances.
Currently, about 68% of aluminum products generated in the U.S. are landfilled, a significant decrease from 1960 when nearly 100% of aluminum products were landfilled due to the absence of established recycling infrastructure (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Historic Aluminum Metals Waste Management Pathways (EPA, 2018).