U.S. EPA's latest MSW data reflects America's evolving waste stream

At the beginning of March, the National Waste & Recycling Association (Waste & Recycling) offered insight into the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on municipal waste generation and recycling rates, noting that the latest statistics, based on 2012 data, show a continual decline in per capita waste generation and an evolving waste stream that continues the trends of less printed paper and lighter-weight packaging.

The EPA report, “Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States,” was released in late February.   

“EPA’s statistics show that Americans are disposing of less waste—about 4.38 pounds of waste per person per day—continuing a decline that began in 2000,” said Sharon H. Kneiss, president and CEO of Waste & Recycling, which represents private sector companies across all 50 states that collect, manage, dispose and recycle waste.  

Kneiss added that while waste recovery rates dipped slightly to 260,000 tons, these statistics do not necessarily mean that Americans are recycling less.  

“Part of the dip in recycling can be attributed to our evolving waste stream,” Kneiss said. “We’re generating less printed material—newspapers, office paper or magazines—as we shift to a digital world.   

“Meanwhile, packaging recycling has continued to climb—more than half of all packaging is now recycled—and this packaging is getting lighter and greener as manufacturers seek to minimize their environmental footprint,” she said. “But the bottom line is that the public can help increase the recycling rate by getting the right materials in the bin in the first place. It begins with the bin.”  

Among other notable findings in the report:  
•Population growth is still outpacing waste generation, and waste generation also continues to grow slower than the economy. Total national waste generation increased by only 500,000 tons, or 0.19 percent. 
•Waste disposal rose very slightly and recovery (including recycling and composting) dropped very slightly. Land disposal of waste peaked in 1990, and waste-to-energy generation peaked in 2000.
•Packaging continues to be the largest component of trash (30 percent), followed by food waste and yard trimmings (28 percent), nondurables (20.5 percent), durables (20 percent) and miscellaneous inorganic wastes (1.5 percent).
•Packaging recycling has steadily increased during this decade, from 38 percent in 2000 to 51.5 percent in 2012. Printed paper recycling rose even more dramatically, from 42 percent in 2000 to 71 percent in 2012.  

Waste Industry Unveils Product Stewardship Policy on Packaging and Printed Paper
On March 24, the National Waste & Recycling Association (Waste & Recycling) confirmed a new industry position opposing local and state government mandates governing “product stewardship” for printed paper and packaging.    Waste & Recycling is the trade association representing private sector companies across all 50 states that collect, manage, dispose and recycle waste.    

“Advocates may promote legislation mandating ‘product stewardship’ programs for printed paper and packaging as a way to increase recycling rates and make retailers ‘pay’ for recycling—but these kinds of programs are rife with pitfalls and unintended consequences,” said Sharon H. Kneiss, president and CEO of Waste & Recycling.    

“Our industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars building, growing and maintaining our nation’s recycling infrastructure and the curbside collection programs that have contributed significantly to Americans’ generally high recycling rates,” Kneiss said. “Meanwhile, we are already generating less paper waste today than ever before, and packaging recycling rates are higher than ever. Complicating these successes through government mandates is a mistake.”  

Among the concerns raised by Waste & Recycling’s position paper on product stewardship programs for printed paper and packaging:  
• Product stewardship programs have not been shown to increase recycling rates for paper and packaging; 
• These programs disrupt successful existing recycling programs; displace local government responsibility for solid waste management; and require the insertion of a third party organization comprised of manufacturers with little experience in or passion for recycling collection or processing;  
• Product stewardship programs with third party oversight can potentially violate antitrust law by undercutting fair competition in recycling collection and disposal. These programs must be carefully monitored to ensure they do not violate the law;  

• These programs also create higher costs for consumers, as manufacturers are likely to pass on the costs of mandated stewardship programs by raising their prices.  

“The waste and recycling industry agrees that America’s recycling rates have room for improvement, but mandated product stewardship programs are not the right path,” Kneiss said. “Better options include imposing stronger recycling laws on residents and businesses; increasing the size of curbside recycling carts; encouraging manufacturers to use recycled content; and boosting public education on the importance of recycling.”  

For more information on the waste and recycling industry, and for facts and figures about waste disposal and recycling, visit www.beginwiththebin.com.  

The National Waste & Recycling Association is the trade association that represents the private sector waste and recycling services industry. Association members conduct business in all 50 states and include companies that collect and manage garbage, recycling and medical waste, equipment manufacturers and distributors and a variety of other service providers.