1

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has collected and reported data on 

the generation and disposal of waste in the United States for more than 30 years. We 

use this information to measure the success of waste reduction and recycling programs 

across the country. These facts and figures are current through calendar year 2008.

In 2008, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash and recycled and 

composted 83 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 33.2 percent recycling rate* 

(see Figure 1 and Figure 2). On average, we recycled and composted 1.5 pounds of 

our individual waste generation of 4.5 pounds per person per day. 

Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, 

and Disposal in the United States: 

Facts and Figures for 2008

Figure 1. MSW Generation Rates, 1960 to 2008

0 0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2

4

6

8

10

Total MSW generation (million tons)

Per capita generation (lbs/person/day)

Total MSW generation Per capita generation

249.6

254.6

239.1

205.2

151.6

121.1

88.1

4.50 4.63

2.68

3.25

3.66

4.50 4.65

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007 2008

* The previously published 2007 recycling rate, 33.4 percent, was revised to 33.1 percent in this year’s report, based on updated data 

(see Figure 2).
2

Trends in Municipal Solid Waste

in 2008 

Our trash, or municipal solid waste (MSW), is made up 

of the things we commonly use and then throw away. 

These materials range from packaging, food scraps, 

and grass clippings, to old sofas, computers, tires, 

and refrigerators. MSW does not include industrial, 

hazardous, or construction waste.

In 2008, Americans recovered about 61 million tons 

(excluding composting) through recycling. Composting 

recovered 22.1 million tons of waste. We combusted 

about 32 million tons for energy recovery (about 

13 percent). Subtracting out what we recycled and 

composted, we combusted (with energy recovery) 

or discarded 3 pounds per person per day.

In 2008, office-type paper recovery rose to about 71 

percent (4.3 million tons), and about 65 percent of 

yard trimmings were recovered (see Figure 3). Metals 

were recycled at a rate of almost 35 percent (see Table 

1). By recycling more than 7 million tons of metals 

(which includes aluminum, steel, and mixed metals), 

we eliminated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 

totaling close to 25 million metric tons of carbon 

dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E). This is equivalent to removing more than 4.5 million cars from the road 

for one year.* 

About 135 million tons of MSW (54 percent) was discarded in landfills in 2008 (see Figure 4).

Over the last few decades, 

the generation, recycling, 

composting, and disposal 

of MSW have changed 

substantially. While solid 

waste generation has increased, from 

3.66 to 4.50 pounds per person per day 

between 1980 and 2008, the recycling 

rate has also increased—from less than 

10 percent of MSW generated in 1980 to 

over 33 percent in 2008. Disposal of waste 

to a landfill has decreased from 89 percent 

of the amount generated in 1980 to 

54 percent of MSW in 2008.

Figure 2. MSW Recycling Rates, 1960 to 2008

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0%

10%

20%

30%

50%

40%

Total MSW recycling (million tons)

Percent of generation recycled

Total MSW recycling Percent recycling

Figure 2. MSW Recycling Rates, 1960 to 2008

82.9

84.2

33.2

16.7

14.5

8.0 5.6 6.5 9.3

55.8

69.4

79.2

33.1% 33.2%

9.6% 16.2%

6.4% 6.2% 6.6% 7.3%

10.1%

26.0%

29.0%

31.7%

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2007 2008

* All benefit calculations in this fact sheet are derived from EPA’s WAste Reduction Model (WARM). Please see www.epa.gov/warm
3

Figure 3. Recycling Rates of Selected Products, 2008* Figure 3. Recycling Rates of Selected Products, 2008

99.2

70.9

64.7 62.8

48.2

35.4

29.3 28.0 27.2

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Auto

Batteries

Office-type

Papers

Yard

Trimmings

Steel

Cans

 Aluminum Beer

& Soda Cans

Tires

Products

PET Bottles

& Jars

Glass

Containers

Recycling Rate (Percent)

HDPE Natural

(white

translucent)

Bottles

Figure 4. Management of MSW in the United States, 2008

Discarded

54.2%

Combustion with

Energy Recovery

12.6%

Recovery

33.2%

Figure 4: Management of MSW in the United States, 2008

*Does not include combustion (with energy recovery).
4

Sources of MSW

We estimated residential waste (including 

waste from apartment houses) to be 55 to 

65 percent of total MSW generation. Waste 

from commercial and institutional locations, 

such as schools, hospitals, and businesses, 

amounted to 35 to 45 percent. 

Analyzing MSW

We analyze waste by material, such as paper 

and paperboard, yard trimmings, food scraps, and plastics, and by major product categories, which include 

durable goods (such as furniture), nondurable goods (such as paper or clothing), containers and packaging 

(such as milk cartons and plastic wrap), and other materials (such as food scraps). 

Materials in MSW

Total MSW generation in 2008 was 250 million tons. Organic materials continue to be the largest component 

of MSW. Paper and paperboard account for 31 percent, with yard trimmings and food scraps accounting for 26 

percent. Plastics comprise 12 percent; metals make up 8 percent; and rubber, leather, and textiles account for 

almost 8 percent. Wood follows at around 7 percent and glass at 5 percent. Other miscellaneous wastes make 

up approximately 3 percent of the MSW generated in 2008 (see Figure 5). 

Figure 5. Total MSW Generation (by material), 2008 

250 Million Tons (before recycling)

Figure 5: Total MSW Generation (by Material), 2008

250 Million Tons (Before Recycling)

Food scraps

12.5%

Yard trimmings

12.8%

Wood

5.6%

12.1%

Metals

8.2%

Other

3.3%

Glass

5.3%

Food scraps

12.7%

Yard trimmings

13.2%

Wood

6.6%

Rubber, leather

and textiles

7.9%

Plastics

12.0%

Metals

8.4%

Paper

31.0%

Glass

4.9%

Nationally, we recycled and composted 83 million 

tons of municipal solid waste. This provides an annual 

benefit of 182 million metric tons of carbon dioxide 

equivalent emissions reduced, comparable to the 

annual GHG emissions from more than 33 million 

passenger vehicles.
5

Material Weight Generated Weight Recovered Recovery as Percent 

of Generation

Paper and paperboard 77.42 42.94 55.5%

Glass 12.15 2.81 23.1%

Metals

Steel 15.68 5.29 33.7%

Aluminum 3.41 0.72 21.1%

Other nonferrous metals† 1.76 1.21 68.8%

Total metals 20.85 7.22 34.6%

Plastics 30.05 2.12 7.1%

Rubber and leather 7.41 1.06 14.3%

Textiles 12.37 1.89 15.3%

Wood 16.39 1.58 9.6%

Other materials 4.50 1.15 25.6%

Total materials in products 181.14 60.77 33.5%

Other wastes

Food, other‡ 31.79 0.80 2.5%

Yard trimmings 32.90 21.30 64.7%

Miscellaneous inorganic wastes 3.78 Negligible Negligible

Total other wastes 68.47 22.10 32.3%

Total municipal solid waste 249.61 82.87 33.2%

Table 1. Generation and Recovery of Materials in MSW, 2008* 

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

* Includes waste from residential, commercial, and institutional sources.

† Includes lead from lead-acid batteries.

‡ Includes recovery of other MSW organics for composting.

Details might not add to totals due to rounding.

Negligible = Less than 5,000 tons or 0.05 percent.
6

Significant amounts of material from each category were 

recycled or composted in 2008. The highest recovery rates 

were achieved in yard trimmings, paper and paperboard, 

and metals. About 21 million tons of yard trimmings were 

composted, representing a five-fold increase since 1990. 

We recycled more than half the paper and paperboard we 

generated. Recycling these organic materials alone kept 26 

percent of MSW out of landfills and combustion facilities. 

Recycling amounts and rates (recovery as a percent of 

generation) for all materials in 2008 are listed in Table 1.

Products in MSW

The breakdown, by weight, of waste generated in 2008 by product category is shown in Figure 6. 

Containers and packaging made up the largest portion of MSW generated: 31 percent, or about 77 

million tons. The second largest portion came from nondurable goods, which amounted to about 24 

percent, or about 59 million tons. Yard trimmings make up the third largest segment, accounting for 

13 percent, or almost 33 million tons.

The generation and recovery of materials in the product categories, by weight and recovery as a percent of 

generation, are shown in Table 2. This table shows that the recovery of containers and packaging was the 

highest of the four product categories, with about 44 percent of the generated materials recycled. Steel, 

paper products, and aluminum were the most recycled materials by percentage in this category. More than 

63 percent of steel packaging (mostly cans) was recycled. Sixty-six percent of paper and paperboard 

containers and packaging was recycled, including nearly 77 percent of all corrugated boxes. The recycling 

rate for aluminum packaging was 38 percent, including just over 48 percent of aluminum beverage cans.

Figure 6. Total MSW Generation (by category), 2008 

250 million tons (before recycling)

Figure 6: Total MSW Generation (by Category), 2007 

249.6 million tons (Before Recycling)

Other Wastes

1.5%

Containers & Packaging 

30.8%

Nondurable Goods

23.5%

Food Scraps

12.7%

Yard Trimmings

 13.2%

Durable Goods 

18.3%

Recycling and composting 83 million 

tons of MSW saved 1.3 quadrillion Btu 

of energy, the equivalent 

of more than 10.2 billion 

gallons of gasoline.
7

Products Weight Generated Weight Recovered Recovery as Percent of 

Generation

Durable goods

Steel 13.13 3.68 28.0%

Aluminum 1.31 Negligible Negligible

Other non-ferrous metals† 1.76 1.21 68.8%

Glass 2.10 Negligible Negligible

Plastics 10.52 0.39 3.7%

Rubber and leather 6.34 1.06 16.7%

Wood 5.68 Negligible Negligible

Textiles 3.35 0.44 13.1%

Other materials 1.48 1.15 76.2%

Total durable goods 45.67 7.93 17.4%

Nondurable goods

Paper and paperboard 39.12 17.86 45.7%

Plastics 6.52 Negligible Negligible

Rubber and leather 1.04 Negligible Negligible

Textiles 8.78 1.45 16.5%

Other materials 3.25 Neg. Neg.

Total nondurable goods 58.71 19.31 32.9%

Containers and packaging

Steel 2.55 1.61 63.1%

Aluminum 1.88 0.72 38.3%

Glass 10.05 2.81 28.0%

Paper and paperboard 38.29 25.08 65.5%

Plastics 13.01 1.73 13.2%

Wood 10.71 1.58 14.8%

Other materials 0.27 Negligible Negligible

Total containers and packaging 76.76 33.53 43.7%

Other wastes

Food, other‡ 31.79 0.80 2.5%

Yard trimmings 32.90 21.30 64.7%

Miscellaneous inorganic wastes 3.78 Negligible Negligible

Total other wastes 68.47 22.10 32.3%

Total municipal solid waste 249.61 82.87 33.2%

Table 2. Generation and Recovery of Products in MSW, 2008* (in millons of tons and percent of generation of each product)

* Includes waste from residential, commercial, and institutional sources.

† Includes lead from lead-acid batteries.

‡ Includes recovery of other MSW organics for composting.

Details might not add to totals due to rounding.

Negligible = less than 5,000 tons or 0.05 percent.
8

Around 28 percent of glass containers were recycled, 

while about 15 percent of wood packaging—mostly 

wood pallets—was recovered. More than 13 percent of 

plastic containers and packaging was recycled, mostly 

from soft drink, milk, and water bottles. Plastic bottles 

were the most recycled plastic products. Recovery of 

HDPE natural (white translucent) bottles was 

estimated at about 29 percent. PET bottles and jars 

were recovered at 27 percent (see supporting 2008 

MSW data tables).

Overall recovery of nondurable goods was 33 percent in 2008. Nondurable goods generally last less than 

three years. Paper products, such as newspapers and high-grade office papers were the most recycled 

nondurable goods. Newspapers alone were recycled at a rate of nearly 88 percent. Approximately 71 

percent of high-grade office papers and 40 percent of magazines were recovered. Forty-one percent of 

unwanted mail, 30 percent of books, and 21 percent of telephone directories were recovered for recycling 

in 2008 (see the supporting data tables). Clothing and other textile products are included in the nondurable goods category. These products were recovered for recycling at a rate of almost 17 percent.

Overall, about 17 percent of durable goods were recovered in 2008. Nonferrous metals other than 

aluminum had one of the highest recovery rates—around 69 percent—due to the high rate of lead 

Activity 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2003 2005 2007 2008

Generation 88.1 121.1 151.6 205.2 239.1 242.2 249.7 254.6 249.6

Recovery for 

recycling

5.6 8.0 14.5 29.0 52.9 55.6 58.6 62.5 60.8

Recovery for 

composting*

Negligible Negligible Negligible 4.2 16.5 19.1 20.6 21.7 22.1

Total materials 

recovery

5.6 8.0 14.5 33.2 69.4 74.7 79.2 84.2 82.9

Combustion 

with energy 

recovery†

0.0 0.4 2.7 29.7 33.7 33.1 31.6 32.0 31.6

Discards to 

landfill, other 

disposal‡

82.5 112.7 134.4 142.3 136.0 134.4 138.9 138.4 135.1

Table 3. Generation, Materials Recovery, Composting, Combustion With Energy Recovery, and Discards of MSW, 

1960 to 2008 (in million of tons)

* Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps, and other MSW organic material. Does not include backyard composting.

† 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, tire-derived fuel).

‡ Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery. Discards include combustion without energy recovery.

Details might not add to totals due to rounding.

Every ton of mixed paper recycled 

can save the energy 

equivalent of 185 gallons 

of gasoline.
9

Recycling and Composting 

Collection Programs**

• Approximately 8,660 curbside recycling 

programs exist nationwide, down from 

8,875 in 2002.

• About 3,510 community composting 

programs are operational, an increase 

from 3,227 in 2002.

recovery from lead-acid batteries. With a 99 percent 

recycling rate, lead-acid batteries continue to be one 

of the most recovered products. Recovery of steel in 

all durable goods was 28 percent, with high rates of 

recovery from appliances and other miscellaneous items. 

Measured by percentage of generation, products with 

the highest recovery rates in 2008 were lead-acid 

batteries (99 percent), newspapers (88 percent), 

corrugated boxes (77 percent), office-type papers (71 

percent), major appliances (67 percent), steel packaging 

(63 percent), yard trimmings (65 percent), aluminum 

cans (48 percent), commercial printing papers (43 

percent), standard mail (41 percent), magazines (40 

percent), and paper bags and sacks (38 percent) 

(see supporting 2008 data tables).

Activity 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2007 2008

Generation 2.68 3.25 3.66 4.50 4.65 4.62 4.63 4.50

Recovery for 

recycling

0.17 0.22 0.35 0.64 1.03 1.08 1.14 1.10

Recovery for 

composting*

Negligible Negligible Negligible 0.09 0.32 0.38 0.39 0.40

Total Materials 

Recovery

0.17 0.22 0.35 0.73 1.35 1.46 1.53 1.50

Combustion 

with energy 

recovery†

0.00 0.01 0.07 0.65 0.66 0.58 0.58 0.57

Discards to 

landfill, other 

disposal‡

2.51 3.02 3.24 3.12 2.64 2.58 2.52 2.43

Population 

(millions)

179.979 203.984 227.255 249.907 281.422 296.410 301.621 304.060

Table 4. Generation, Materials Recovery, Composting, Combustion With Energy Recovery, 

and Discards of MSW, 1960 to 2008 (in pounds per person per day)

* Composting of yard trimmings, food scraps, and other MSW organic material. Does not include backyard composting.

† 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, tire-derived fuel).

‡ Discards after recovery minus combustion with energy recovery. Discards include combustion without energy recovery.

Details might not add to totals due to rounding.

** Source: For 2002 data: BioCycle 2006.

For 2008 data: EPA, Supporting 2008 data tables and figures.
10

Disposing of MSW

While the number of U.S. landfills has steadily 

declined over the years, the average landfill size has 

increased. At the national level, landfill capacity 

appears to be sufficient, although it is limited in some 

areas.

• Since 1990, the total amount of MSW going to 

landfills dropped by about 7 million tons, from 142.3 

million to 135.1 million tons in 2008 (see Table 3). 

• The net per capita discard rate (after recycling, 

composting, and combustion for energy recovery) was 

2.43 pounds per person per day, lower than the 2.51 per capita rate in 1960, when virtually no recycling 

occurred in the United States (see Table 4).

The Benefits of Recycling

Recycling has environmental benefits at every stage in the life cycle of a consumer product—from the raw 

material with which it’s made to its final method of disposal. Aside from reducing GHG emissions, which 

contribute to global warming, recycling also reduces air and water pollution associated with making new 

products from raw materials. By utilizing used, unwanted, or obsolete materials as industrial feedstocks 

or for new materials or products, we can each do our part to make recycling work. 

Nationally, we recycled 83 million tons of MSW. This provides an annual benefit of 182 million metric 

tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions reduced, comparable to removing the emissions from 33 

million passenger cars. But the ultimate benefits from recycling are cleaner land, air, and water, overall 

better health, and a more sustainable economy. 

Resources

The data summarized in this fact sheet characterizes 

the MSW stream as a whole by using a materials flow 

methodology that relies on a mass balance approach. 

For example, to determine the amounts of paper 

recycled, information is gathered on the amounts 

processed by paper mills and made into new paper 

on a national basis, instead of counting paper 

collected at curbside on a state-by-state basis. Using 

data gathered from industry associations, businesses, 

and government sources, such as the U.S. Department 

of Commerce and the U.S. Census Bureau, we estimate 

tons of materials and products generated, recycled, 

and discarded. Other sources of data, such as waste 

characterizations and research reports performed by 

governments, industry, or the press, supplement these data.

The benefits of recycling and composting, such as elimination of GHG emissions, are calculated using 

EPA’s WARM methodology. Please see: 

www.epa.gov/warm

Recycling just 1 ton of aluminum cans 

conserves more than 207 million Btu, 

the equivalent of 36 

barrels of oil, or 1,665 

gallons of gasoline.

Energy Recovered from 

Waste Combustion

• In 2008, about 32 million tons of 

materials, or 12.7 percent, were 

combusted for energy recovery.

• MSW combustion for energy recovery has 

remained fairly constant since 1990.
11

WARM calculates and totals GHG emissions of baseline and alternative waste management practices—

source reduction, recycling, composting, combustion, and landfilling. The model calculates emissions 

in metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE), 

metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), 

and energy units (million Btu) across a wide range 

of material types commonly found in MSW. EPA 

developed GHG emissions reduction factors through 

a life-cycle assessment methodology. EPA’s report, 

Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A 

Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks (EPA530-R-02-006), describes this methodology in detail 

(www.epa.gov/

climatechange/wycd/waste/downloads/fullreport.pdf).

Full data tables on MSW characterization that support 

this Report and Summaries of the MSW characterization methodology and WARM are available on the EPA 

Web site along with information about waste reduction 

and recycling. Please see:

www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm 

www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/index.htm

In percentage of total MSW generation, 

recovery for recycling (including composting) 

did not exceed 15 percent until 1990. 

Growth in the recovery rate to current 

levels (33.2 percent) reflects an increase 

in infrastructure and market demand for 

recovery over the last decade.
12

United States Environmental Protection Agency

Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306P)

Washington, DC 20460

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

EPA-530-F-009-021

November 2009

www.epa.gov/wastes