There are still many long-term consequences that are being classified as certain to alter societies and the people who live therein. Increasing concerns about the present and future of our environment have motivated families and other groups to take more responsibility to protect the world. Environmental concerns deal with the necessities of life and ways in which we as humans will be able to maintain our resources. The management of solid waste is one of the biggest concerns facing the environment. Each year the United States generates nearly 10 billion metric tons of non-agricultural solid waste.
Solid waste is the environmental term for garbage, trash, scrap, junk, and sewage.
On the average, a United states citizen discards about 3.5 pounds of solid waste every day. In 1978 the United States had about 20,000 landfills because eighty percent of all solid waste is dumped in landfills. Almost all industrial waste is disposed of by means of private facilities rather than municipal landfills. Approximately 20 percent of industrial solid waste is associated with the production and use of oil and gas, while another 12 percent comes from mining. Municipal waste makes up about one percent of the total.