Municipal Solid Waste Generation, 

Recycling, and Disposal in the 

United States: 

Facts and Figures for 2005 

The Environmental Protection Agency has collected and reported data on the generation and disposal of waste in the United States for more than 40 years. We use 

the information to measure the success of municipal solid waste (MSW) reduction 

and recycling programs across the country. The data also shows us where we, as 

a nation, need to make environmental improvements. Because we only report this 

information every two years, these facts and figures are current through calendar 

year 2005. Both 2004 and 2005 data are reported here for the first time. 

TRENDS IN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE 

Municipal solid waste (MSW), usually known as trash or garbage, is made up of 

things we commonly throw away. This household type of waste ranges from our 

package wrappings, food scraps, and grass clippings to our old sofas, computers, 

and refrigerators. It does not contain industrial, hazardous, or construction waste. 

Despite sustained improvements in 

waste reduction, household waste Recycling and Composting remains a constant concern because Programs for MSW 

trends indicate that the overall tonnage we create continues to increase. 	 The latest recycling and composting figures we have are for 2005. In that year, Since 1980, the total annual generation of MSW has increased more than • Recycling and composting programs 

60 percent to its 2005 level of nearly recovered 32.1 percent of MSW in 

2005—that was 79 million tons! 246 million tons per year. Excluding


composting, MSW recovered through • Around 8,550 curbside recycling pro-


recycling rose to more than 58 million grams existed nationwide, slightly down


tons, 5.7 tons more than in 2004. from 8,875 in 2002. 


Composting recovered nearly 21 mil- • About 3,470 community composting


lion tons of waste. The total MSW programs were operational, an increase


recovery rate, which includes both from 3,227 in 2002.


Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper 
recycling and composting, was just over 32 

percent in 2005. 

Our individual MSW generation rate has 

remained relatively constant since the 1990s at 

4.5 pounds per person per day. Our recycling 

Recovering Energy from Burning 

MSW 

• In 2005, approximately 33.4 million 

tons or 13.6 percent of MSW was combusted with energy recovery. 

• Combustion with energy recovery 

increased nearly tenfold from 1980 to 

1990; since then MSW combustion with 

energy recovery has increased slightly 

Disposing of MSW 

Figure 5 on page 9 shows that the number of MSW landfills has steadily declined 

over the years. On the other hand, average landfill size has increased. At the 

national level, landfill capacity appears to 

be sufficient, although it may not be in 

some regional areas. 

• The percentage of MSW going to landfills continues to decrease. Since 1990, 

MSW sent to landfills has decreased by 

9 million tons, from 142.3 million tons 

in 1990 (See Table 1) to 133.3 million 

tons in 2005. 

• In 2005, the net per capita discard rate 

(after recycling, composting, and combustion with energy recovery) was 2.46 

pounds per person per day, similar to 

2.49 pounds per person in 2003 (see 

Table 3 on page 4). 

rate was close to 1.5 pounds per person per 

day. After accounting for what we recycled, 

we combusted with energy recovery or discarded about 3 pounds per person per day in 

2005. 

In 2005, recycling and composting diverted 79 

million tons of waste. Paper and paperboard 

recovery rose to 42 million tons. Metals were 

recycled at a rate of nearly 37 percent, and 62 

percent of yard trimmings were recovered. 

Consider the significance of these figures 

today compared to 1980 when we only recycled 10 percent of all our MSW and disposed 

of the rest. Clearly, we’re recycling more and 

discarding less. 

After accounting for the MSW that was recovered by recycling and composting, we measure 

waste disposed of in combustors and landfills. In 2005, more than 33 million tons (14 percent) were combusted with energy recovery, and about 133 million tons (54 percent) went to 

landfills or were otherwise disposed of. 

Table 1


Generation, Materials Recovery, Composting, Combustion with Energy Recovery, and Discards of Municipal


Solid Waste, 1960 - 2005 


(in millions of tons)


Activity 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2003 2004 2005 

Generation 88.1 121.1 151.6 205.2 237.6 240.4 247.3 245.7 

Recovery for recycling 5.6 8.0 14.5 29.0 52.7 55.8 52.7 58.4 

Recovery for composting* Neg. Neg. Neg. 4.2 16.5 19.1 20.5 20.6 

Total Materials Recovery 5.6 8.0 14.5 33.2 69.1 74.9 77.7 79.0 

Combustion with Energy 

Recovery† 0.0 0.4 2.7 29.7 33.7 33.7 34.1 33.4 

Discards to Landfill, Other 

Disposal‡ 82.5 112.7 134.4 142.3 134.8 131.9 135.5 133.3 

*	 Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps, and other MSW organic material.


Does not include backyard composting.


Details may not add to totals due to rounding.


†	 Includes combustion of MSW in mass burn or refuse-derived fuel form, and combustion with energy recovery of source separated 

materials in MSW (e.g., wood pallets and tire-derived fuel). 

‡	 Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery.


2 Details may not add to totals due to rounding.

Table 2 

Generation, Materials Recovery, Composting, Combustion with Energy Recovery, and Discards of Municipal


Solid Waste, 1960 - 2005


(in percent of total generation)


Activity 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2003 2004 2005 

Generation 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 

Recovery for recycling 6.4% 6.6% 9.6% 14.2% 22.2% 23.2% 23.1% 23.8% 

Recovery for composting* Neg. Neg. Neg. 2.0% 6.9% 7.9% 8.3% 8.4% 

Total Materials Recovery 6.4% 6.6% 9.6% 16.2% 29.1% 31.1% 31.4% 32.1% 

Combustion with Energy 

Recovery† 0.0% 0.3% 1.8% 14.5% 14.2% 14.0% 13.8% 13.6% 

Discards to Landfill, Other 

Disposal‡ 93.6% 93.1% 88.6% 69.3% 56.7% 54.9% 54.8% 54.3% 

*	 Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps, and other MSW organic material. 

Does not include backyard composting. 

Details may not add to totals due to rounding. 

†	 Includes combustion of MSW in mass burn or refuse-derived fuel form, and combustion with energy recovery of source separated 

materials in MSW (e.g., wood pallets and tire-derived fuel). 

‡	 Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery. 

Details may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Figure 1 


MSW Generation Rates from 1960 - 2005


Per capita generation (lbs/person/day)

Total MSW generation (million tons) 

Total MSW generation Per capita generation 

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 

0.00 

2.00 

4.00 

6.00 

8.00 

10.00 

0 

50 

100 

150 

200 

250 

300 

3 
Figure 2


MSW Recycling Rates from 1960 - 2005


1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 

0.0 

10.0 

20.0 

30.0 

40.0 

50.0 

60.0 

70.0 

80.0 

0.0% 

10.0% 

20.0% 

30.0% 

40.0% 

50.0% 

Total MSW recycling (million tons)

Percent of generation recycled 

Total MSW recycling Percent recycling 

55.8

69.1

79.0

9.3 5.6 6.5 8.0

14.5 16.7

33.2

10.1%

26.0%

29.1%

32.1%

6.4% 6.2% 6.6% 7.3%

9.6%

16.2%

Table 3


Generation, Materials Recovery, Composting, Combustion with Energy Recovery, and Discards of Municipal


Solid Waste, 1960 - 2005


(in pounds per person per day)


Activity 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2003 2004 2005 

Generation 2.68 3.25 3.66 4.50 4.63 4.53 4.61 4.54 

Recovery for recycling 0.17 0.22 0.35 0.64 1.03 1.05 1.07 1.08 

Recovery for composting* Neg. Neg. Neg. 0.09 0.32 0.36 0.38 0.38 

Total Materials Recovery 0.17 0.22 0.35 0.73 1.35 1.41 1.45 1.46 

Combustion with Energy 

Recovery† 

0.00 0.01 0.07 0.65 0.66 0.63 0.64 0.62 

Discards to Landfill, 

Other Disposal‡ 

2.51 3.02 3.24 3.12 2.62 2.49 2.52 2.46 

Population (millions) 179.979 203.984 227.255 249.907 281.422 290.850 293.660 296.410 

*	 Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps, and other MSW organic material. 

Does not include backyard composting. 

Details may not add to totals due to rounding. 

†	 Includes combustion of MSW in mass burn or refuse-derived fuel form, and combustion with energy recovery of source separated 

materials in MSW (e.g., wood pallets and tire-derived fuel). 

‡	 Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery. 

Details may not add to totals due to rounding. 

4 
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN 2005


Sources of MSW include both residential and commercial locations. We estimated residential 

waste (including waste from apartment houses) to be 55 to 65 percent of total MSW generation. 

Waste from schools and commercial locations, such as hospitals and businesses, constitutes 35 

to 45 percent of MSW. Local and regional factors, such as climate and level of commercial activity, contribute to these variations. 

We analyze MSW two ways. The first is by material (paper and paperboard, yard trimmings, food 

scraps, plastics, metals, rubber, leather and textiles, wood, glass, and other); the second is by 

major product categories. Product categories include durable goods (like furniture and appliances), nondurable goods (like newspapers, disposable diapers, and clothing), containers and 

packaging (like milk cartons, corrugated cardboard boxes, and plastic wrap), and other wastes 

(like food scraps and yard trimmings). 

Materials in MSW 

Organic materials continue to be the largest components of MSW. Rounding to the nearest 

whole number, paper and paperboard products account for 34 percent of the waste stream, with 

yard trimmings and food scraps accounting for about 25 percent. Plastics comprise 12 percent; 

metals make up 8 percent; rubber, leather, and textiles account for 7 percent. Wood follows at 6 

percent, and glass at 5 percent. Finally, other miscellaneous wastes made up approximately 3 

percent of the MSW generated in 2005. A breakdown, by weight, of the MSW materials generated in 2005 is provided in Figure 3. 

Figure 3


Total MSW Generation - 2005 (Before Recycling = 246 million tons)


Wood 5.7% 

Rubber, Leather, and 

Textiles 7.3% 

Plastics 11.8% 

Paper and 

Paperboard 34.2% 

Glass 5.2% 

Metals 7.6% 

Yard Trimmings 13.1% 

Food Scraps 11.9% 

Other 3.4% 

5 
Some material from each MSW category was recycled or composted in 2005. The highest 

recovery rates were achieved in yard trimmings, paper and paperboard products, and metal 

products. Almost 21 million tons of yard trimmings were composted, representing a five-fold 

increase since 1990. Half the paper and paperboard generated in 2005 was recycled. 

Recycling these organic materials alone kept 25 percent of municipal solid waste out of landfills and combustion facilities. Nearly 7 million tons, or about 37 percent, of metals were 

recycled too. Recycling rates (recovery as a percent of generation) for all materials in 2005 

are listed in Table 4. 

Table 4


Generation and Recovery of Materials in MSW, 2005


(in millons of tons and percent of generation of each material)


Material 

Weight 

Generated 

Weight 

Recovered 

Recovery as a 

Percent of 

Generation 

Paper and paperboard 84.0 42.0 50.0% 

Glass 12.8 2.76 21.6% 

Metals 

Steel 13.8 4.93 35.8% 

Aluminum 3.21 0.69 21.5% 

Other nonferrous metals* 1.74 1.26 72.4% 

Total Metals 18.7 6.88 36.8% 

Plastics 28.9 1.65 5.7% 

Rubber and leather 6.70 0.96 14.3% 

Textiles 11.1 1.70 15.3% 

Wood 13.9 1.31 9.4% 

Other materials 4.57 1.17 25.6% 

Total Materials in Products 180.7 58.4 32.3% 

Other Wastes 

Food, other** 29.2 0.69 2.4% 

Yard trimmings 32.1 19.9 61.9% 

Miscellaneous inorganic wastes 3.69 Neg. Neg. 

Total Other Wastes 65.0 20.6 31.6% 

TOTAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE 245.7 79.0 32.1% 

Includes waste from residential, commercial, and institutional sources. 

*Includes lead from lead-acid batteries. 

**Includes recovery of other MSW organics for composting. 

Details may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Neg. = Less than 5,000 tons or 0.05 percent. 

6 
Products in MSW 

The breakdown, by weight, of product categories generated in 2005 is shown in Figure 4. 

Containers and packaging made up the largest portion of waste generated, about 77 million 

tons. The second-largest portion of MSW was nondurable goods, comprising nearly 64 million 

tons. Durable goods make up the third largest segment, accounting for 40 million tons. 

Figure 4


Products Generated in MSW - 2005 (Total Weight = 246 million tons)


Other Wastes 1.5% 

Durable Goods 16.4% 

Yard Trimmings 13.1% 

Food Scraps 11.9% 

Nondurable Goods 25.9% 

Containers and 

Packaging 31.2% 

The generation and recovery of product categories in MSW in 2005 are shown in Table 5. This 

table shows that recovery of containers and packaging was the highest of the four product categories, recycling almost 40 percent of containers and packaging. Aluminum, steel, and paper 

products were the most recycled materials by percentage in this category. About 36 percent of 

aluminum was recycled (about 45 percent of all aluminum beverage cans were recycled), while 

more than 63 percent of steel packaging (mostly cans) was recycled. About 50 percent of paper 

and paperboard was recycled; corrugated cardboard boxes accounted for most of that amount. 

Around 25 percent of glass containers were recycled, while about 15 percent of wood packaging—mostly wood pallets—was recovered for recycling. More than 9 percent of plastic containers 

and packaging were recycled, mostly from soft drink, milk, and water bottles. 

Overall recovery of nondurable goods was 32 percent in 2005. Paper products, such as newspapers and high-grade office papers, were the most recycled materials. Newspapers alone were 

recycled at a rate of 89 percent. Approximately 63 percent of high-grade office papers and 39 

percent of magazines were recovered. About 36 percent of unwanted mail was recovered, as 

well as 18 percent of telephone directories. 

Clothing and other textile products are included in the nondurable goods category. These products were recovered for recycling or export at a rate of 18 percent. 

7 
Table 5 

Generation and Recovery of Products in MSW by Material, 2005 

(in millons of tons and percent of generation of each product) 

Weight 

Generated 

Weight 

Recovered 

Recovery 

as a Percent of 

Generation 

Durable Goods 

Steel 11.4 3.43 30.1% 

Aluminum 1.08 Neg. Neg. 

Other non-ferrous metals* 1.74 1.26 72.4% 

Total metals 14.2 4.69 33.0% 

Glass 1.83 Neg. Neg. 

Plastics 8.71 0.37 4.2% 

Rubber and leather 5.68 0.96 16.9% 

Wood 5.37 Neg. Neg. 

Textiles 3.02 0.28 9.3% 

Other materials 1.45 1.17 80.7% 

Total durable goods 40.3 7.47 18.5% 

Nondurable Goods 

Paper and paperboard 44.9 19.0 42.4% 

Plastics 6.55 Neg. Neg. 

Rubber and leather 0.99 Neg. Neg. 

Textiles 7.91 1.42 18.0% 

Other materials 3.36 Neg. Neg. 

Total nondurable goods 63.7 20.5 32.1% 

Containers and Packaging 

Steel 2.37 1.50 63.3% 

Aluminum 1.90 0.69 36.3% 

Total metals 4.27 2.19 51.3% 

Glass 10.9 2.76 25.3% 

Paper and paperboard 39.0 22.9 58.8% 

Plastics 13.7 1.28 9.4% 

Wood 8.56 1.31 15.3% 

Other materials 0.24 Neg. Neg. 

Total containers and packaging 76.7 30.5 39.8% 

Other Wastes 

Food, other** 29.2 0.69 2.4% 

Yard trimmings 32.1 19.9 61.9% 

Miscellaneous inorganic wastes 3.69 Neg Neg 

Total other wastes 65.0 20.6 31.6% 

TOTAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE 245.7 79.0 32.1% 

Includes waste from residential, commercial, and institutional sources. 

*Includes lead from lead-acid batteries. 

**Includes recovery of other MSW organics for composting. 

Details may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Neg. = Less than 5,000 tons or 0.05 percent. 

8 
Overall, more than 18 percent of durable goods were recovered in 2005. Nonferrous metals other 

than aluminum had one of the highest recovery rates, at about 72 percent, due to the high rate 

of lead recovery from lead-acid batteries. Recovery of steel in all durable goods was 30 percent, 

with high rates of recovery from appliances and other miscellaneous durable goods. 

Lead-acid batteries were one of the most recovered products in 2005, with an impressive 

recycling rate of about 99 percent. Other products with particularly high recovery rates were 

newspapers (about 89 percent), corrugated boxes (about 72 percent), major appliances 

(67 percent), steel cans (about 63 percent), and aluminum beverage cans (about 45 percent). 

Additionally, around 35 percent of rubber tires were recycled, while other tires were retreaded 

and shredded rubber tires were converted to fuel. 

Figure 5


Number of Landfills in the United States by Year


7,924 8,000 

7,379 

7,000 

6,326 

6,000 5,812

5,386 

5,000 4,482 

4,000 3,558 

3,197 3,091 

3,000 2,514 2,314 2,216 

2,000 1,967 1,858 1,767 1,654 

data not 

available 

1,000 

0 

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

9 
Figure 6


Management of MSW in the United States, 2005


Discarded 54.3% Recovery 32.1% 

Combustion with Energy 

Recovery 13.6% 

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

This report and previous reports in the same series are available on the Internet at 

<www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/msw99.htm>. Detailed data tables for 2005 and 

previous years may be found at the same location. General information on municipal solid 

waste is available on the Internet at <www.epa.gov/osw>. 

10 

Envir

United States 

onmental Protection Agency 

Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306P) Washington, DC 20460 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 EPA-530-F-06-039 wwwOctober 2006 

.epa.gov/osw