Description

“Waste not, want not”—a notion that helped carve a Nation out of a wilderness, but increasingly an ignored concept. It is time to revisit this notion, reassess our attitudes about MSW, and plan a wise policy to guide the Nation into the next century. Today we find ourselves facing growing mounds of trash and the label “throw-away society. ’

In the United States, we generate over 160 million tons of municipal solid waste (M SW) each year-more than one-half ton per person—and the amount is rising steadily. In 1986, only about 10 percent of all MSW was recycled and 10 to 15 percent was incinerated (mostly with energy recovery), while almost 80 percent—about 130 million tons—win disposed of in landfills. Landfilling has been the most available disposal method, but many areas of the country are experiencing shortfalls of permitted landfill capacity and rising landfill costs.