Why do Canadians generate so much municipal waste?
Of the 791 kg per capita of municipal waste generated in Canada in 2004, 53 per cent was from household waste. Increases in municipal waste generation are related to rates of urbanization, types and patterns of consumption, household revenue, and lifestyles. Canada’s per capita income and average household disposable income have been steadily increasing since the 1980s, leading to increasing household consumption rates. In other OECD counties where urbanization and disposable household income are also high, however, municipal waste generated per capita is substantially lower than in Canada. Japan, for example, generated 400 kg per capita of municipal waste in 2005, almost half the waste generated in Canada.
