How Much Trash Does the U.S. Produce?
Something important to know when talking about recycling is MSW, or municipal solid waste. Basically, MSW is trash. MSW that is computed into the The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recycling figures includes common household throw-away items such as food scraps, package wrapping, grass clippings, and even bigger items like an old microwave, sofa, or refrigerator. MSW that is not taken into account when recycling statistics are computed are items such as hazardous, industrial, and construction waste. The EPA gives mixed results about household MSW. They report that while the U.S. is experiencing sustained improvements in waste reduction, the overall bulk of MSW the U.S. creates continues to rise. From 1980 to 2005, the U.S. MSW generation increased 60 percent! That’s a grand total of 246 million tons of trash created in 2005. Luckily, that 246 million tons of MSW was computed before the recycling statistics were tabulated. There’s one more piece of good news about M
