WASTE COMPOSITION
National data collected by the EPA estimates that 9.5% of consumer products landfilled are metal:
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfilled by material (146.1 MTons). EPA 2018.
METAL COMPOSITION
Of the 9.5% metal discarded annually, ~50% is ferrous, and ~50% is non-ferrous:
Metals landfilled by type (13.9 MTons). EPA 2018.
These non-ferrous metals are broadly categorized as:
Other Metals
Aluminum Cans
Major Appliances
Other Non-Ferrous
WHAT WE ARE DOING DIFFERENTLY
Our sorting and sampling methodology can precisely quantify the total non-ferrous metal content of landfill material by element, rather than category.
We can determine the total % composition of metals such as aluminum, nickel, copper, zinc, tin, lead, gold, silver, etc.
We also record stainless steel and ferrous metal quantities.