Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), or trash, is made up of household items that people commonly use and then throw away or recycle. MSW essentially includes all trash besides industrial, hazardous or construction waste. To begin, MSW trends over the past 50 years nationwide were used as a basis for measurement. When considering this indicator and how this translates into evaluating the Triangles abilities to connect people with nature, trends, disposal practices and programs, economic benefits and disposal legislation issues were examined.
Why is this important?
Municipal solid waste is an important factor to consider in an analysis of the state of the Triangle’s ability to connect people with nature because waste reduction and recycling trends, programs and legislation demonstrate the extent to which Triangle citizens take an active approach to protecting the environment.
Quick Facts about Municipal Solid Waste Generation
On average nationally, each person generates 4.50 pounds of solid waste a day
Recycling rates have increased from 10 percent of municipal solid waste nationwide in 1980 to 33 percent nationwide in 2008.
Waste disposal to landfills has decreased from 89 percent of municipal solid waste generated in 1980 to 54 percent in 2008.
What does this measure show?
Municipal Solid Waste Trends. When looking at trends in municipal solid waste an assessment can be made on waste reduction rates and recycling program development across the country. Since 1960, total municipal solid waste generation has increased nationwide (Figure 1). Though this is not surprising, it does not present the entire picture. Upon closer examination, recycling has increased: from 69.4 million tons in 2000 to 82.9 million tons in 2008, while trash production is decreasing slightly: from 169.7 million tons in 2000 to 166.7 million tons in 2008.
Figure 1. Municipal solid waste generation, 1960 to 2008. Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency (2009).
Triangle Waste Disposal Programs. An examination of trash disposal programs and recycling programs in the Triangle demonstrate the practices of waste disposal throughout the region (Table 1). A survey of each county’s services was completed to understand the state of the Triangle regions waste collection programs, a key part of the indication of the Triangles capabilities to connect people with nature through environmentally friendly waste disposal practices. To complete this survey number of recycling centers, the availability of curbside recycling, number of convenience centers, landfills and other waste disposal practices were examined by county and municipality.
Table 1. Waste disposal programs, by county.
County
Number of Recycling Centers
Curbside Recycling?
Number of Convenience Centers
Number of Landfills
Other Waste Disposal Practices
Chatham
County: 12
County: No
Municipal: 2 (Public: Haw River, Siler City)
County: 12
County: 1
- Hotline for illegal waste disposal
- Environmental Enforcement Program
- Recycling Fee to Collect: Yard Waste, Inert Debris
- Recycling No Fee- Tires, Scrap Metal and Appliances, Motor Oil and Filters, Propane Tanks, Electronics, Car Batteries, Pesticide Containers.
- Small Business Recycling Centers
- Swap Shop
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
- Solid Waste Advisory Committee
Durham
County: 4
County: Yes
County: 4
County: 1
- Household Hazardous Waste Center
- Roll Off Container Rental Services
- Swap Shop
- No stationary container services
Johnston
County: 12
Municipal: 2 (Benson, Smithfield
County: No
Municipal: 4 (Public: Pine Level, Princeton
Private: Clayton, Selma:)
County: 12
County: 1
- Disposal Services: Tire, Appliance, Batteries, Waste Motor Oil
Lee
County: 6
County: No
Municipal: 1 (Private: Sanford)
County: 6
County: 1
- House Hold Hazardous Waste Centers
- School Recycling Programs
- Stop Junk Mail Program
- Swat-A-Litterbug Program
Orange
County: 10
County: Yes
County: 5
County: 1
- Recycling Services: Tire, Electronics, Scrap Metal, Appliance, Construction and Demolition Waste
- Mulch and Compost Sales
- Hazardous Waste Collection
- Disposal for Household Garbage Recycling
- Salvage Sheds
- 24 hour drop off sites
Wake
County: 15
County: No
Municipal: 12 (Public: Apex, Cary, Garner, HS, Knighdale, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Zebulon
Private: FV, Morrisville, Rolesville, Wendell)
County: 12
County: 1
- School Recycling Programs
- Roadside Litter Clean Up Programs
- Household Hazardous Waste Centers
- Backyard Compositing Program
- Electronics Recycling
All counties in the Triangle offer multiple recycling centers, convenience centers (otherwise known as dumps) and a landfill with public access for the disposal of specific goods. Based off this table, it is apparent that throughout the Triangle region there are several different combination's of public and private MSW disposal services. When it comes to curbside waste pick up, only Orange and Durham counties offer this service at the county level; while Chatham, Johnston, Lee and Wake offer curbside waste pick up at the municipal level. Seven municipalities throughout the Triangle contract private disposal services and twelve municipalities offer public curbside recycling. Interestingly enough though, every municipality that has contracted waste disposal services has curbside recycling as well. Private curbside recycling programs are voluntary and higher costs are incurred by the individual than if the program was public. This could potentially create a disincentive to recycling in these municipalities. Evaluating if a county has public recycling centers or curbside pick up, and subsequently an evaluation at the municipal level, is interesting because it demonstrates the allocation of priorities and resources for recycling programs in each county Triangle wide.
Economic Benefits from Recycling. It is commonly stated that recycling costs more than disposal, but this is a myth. After full cost analysis of recycling versus disposal is completed, it is apparent that operating a recycling program can cost less than a solid waste collection and disposal program. Additionally, the higher the recycling rate, the more likely that recycling program operations will be less expensive than solid waste collection and disposal.
Waste Disposal Legislation. Effective October 1, 2009 the state of North Carolina has banned all rigid plastic containers from landfills. This legislation developed in 2005, with its main focus on the recovery of plastic bottles identified as number “1”. On top of implementing this ban, the state will be inspecting landfills for these plastic bottles. In addition, there are several items that have been banned from disposal at landfills via legislation: used oil, yard trash, white goods, antifreeze, aluminum cans, tires, lead-acid batteries, beverage containers, motor vehicle oil filters, wooden pallets and oyster shells. Legislation banning these items is accompanied by the implementation of county facilities for environmentally safe disposal of these items. Statewide legislation such as this positively affects the capabilities of the Triangle to promote environmentally friendly waste disposal practices.
The Goals of the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Plan: 2003-2013
**
Ensure long-term environmental protection by improving future landfill technology and addressing public health and environmental concerns associated with closed landfills.
Substantially increase the amount of waste recycled and composted.
Reduce litter and illegal disposal by 50 percent from 2003-2004 levels.
Implement policies and procedures to provide information to the public and ensure public participation throughout the decision-making process regarding waste management facilities.
Create and continually maintain 20 years of landfill capacity in the state.
Limitations and Future Research
Throughout the Triangle, waste disposal practices by county and municipal governments demonstrate the extent of the Triangle’s commitment to environmentally friendly behavior in waste disposal. National MSW trends show that environmentally friendly behavior is being promoted nationwide as tonnage of trash is decreasing while tonnage of recycling is increasing. Further research is required to collect local data by contacting the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and waste disposal firms throughout the Triangle to see if any information on MSW trends, broken down by trash and recycling generation, is documented. These data are needed for a complete assessment on the full extent of the Triangle’s capabilities to promote and create environmentally friendly behavior in waste disposal.
Author: Leah McManus, NC State University :: 2010.05.01 Updated: George Hess :: 2010.06.08 Reviewers: Wally Thurman, NC State University :: Emily Ander, City of Raleigh Technical Notes
To obtain national data on MSW generation, information was sought from the US EPA ( EPA Solid Waste Report.pdf). To obtain Triangle wide information on waste disposal practices of counties and municipalities, county and municipal in public works/utilities departments and solid waste disposal websites were searched for data on recycling centers, recycling methods, conveniece centers, landfills and other waste disposal practices (See Resources for Household Waste for more details). Information on the amount of each and who (county/municipality) handles the operation of each were noted. For information on the economic benefits for recycling the North Carolina full cost analysis of waste management report was looked to (See Reference List for details). And finally, for information regarding legislation on waste disposal, a recent article was utilized which discusses recent legislation changes in North Carolina (http://earth911.com/news/2009/06/03/nc-law-to-ban-plastic-bottles-from-landfills/).
Parks & Nature Recreation :: Natural Area Recreation :: Proximity to Parks
Environmental Education :: Environmental Education Centers :: Community Colleges :: State Curriculum
Environmental Choices :: Green Buildings :: Transportation Choices :: Waste and Recycling Practices
Waste and Disposal Practices
What is this?
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), or trash, is made up of household items that people commonly use and then throw away or recycle. MSW essentially includes all trash besides industrial, hazardous or construction waste. To begin, MSW trends over the past 50 years nationwide were used as a basis for measurement. When considering this indicator and how this translates into evaluating the Triangles abilities to connect people with nature, trends, disposal practices and programs, economic benefits and disposal legislation issues were examined.
Why is this important?
Municipal solid waste is an important factor to consider in an analysis of the state of the Triangle’s ability to connect people with nature because waste reduction and recycling trends, programs and legislation demonstrate the extent to which Triangle citizens take an active approach to protecting the environment.
What does this measure show?
Municipal Solid Waste Trends. When looking at trends in municipal solid waste an assessment can be made on waste reduction rates and recycling program development across the country. Since 1960, total municipal solid waste generation has increased nationwide (Figure 1). Though this is not surprising, it does not present the entire picture. Upon closer examination, recycling has increased: from 69.4 million tons in 2000 to 82.9 million tons in 2008, while trash production is decreasing slightly: from 169.7 million tons in 2000 to 166.7 million tons in 2008.
Figure 1. Municipal solid waste generation, 1960 to 2008. Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency (2009).
Triangle Waste Disposal Programs. An examination of trash disposal programs and recycling programs in the Triangle demonstrate the practices of waste disposal throughout the region (Table 1). A survey of each county’s services was completed to understand the state of the Triangle regions waste collection programs, a key part of the indication of the Triangles capabilities to connect people with nature through environmentally friendly waste disposal practices. To complete this survey number of recycling centers, the availability of curbside recycling, number of convenience centers, landfills and other waste disposal practices were examined by county and municipality.
Table 1. Waste disposal programs, by county.
Municipal: 2 (Public: Haw River, Siler City)
- Environmental Enforcement Program
- Recycling Fee to Collect: Yard Waste, Inert Debris
- Recycling No Fee- Tires, Scrap Metal and Appliances, Motor Oil and Filters, Propane Tanks, Electronics, Car Batteries, Pesticide Containers.
- Small Business Recycling Centers
- Swap Shop
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
- Solid Waste Advisory Committee
- Roll Off Container Rental Services
- Swap Shop
- No stationary container services
Municipal: 2 (Benson, Smithfield
Municipal: 4 (Public: Pine Level, Princeton
Private: Clayton, Selma:)
Municipal: 1 (Private: Sanford)
- School Recycling Programs
- Stop Junk Mail Program
- Swat-A-Litterbug Program
- Mulch and Compost Sales
- Hazardous Waste Collection
- Disposal for Household Garbage Recycling
- Salvage Sheds
- 24 hour drop off sites
Municipal: 12 (Public: Apex, Cary, Garner, HS, Knighdale, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Zebulon
Private: FV, Morrisville, Rolesville, Wendell)
- Roadside Litter Clean Up Programs
- Household Hazardous Waste Centers
- Backyard Compositing Program
- Electronics Recycling
All counties in the Triangle offer multiple recycling centers, convenience centers (otherwise known as dumps) and a landfill with public access for the disposal of specific goods. Based off this table, it is apparent that throughout the Triangle region there are several different combination's of public and private MSW disposal services. When it comes to curbside waste pick up, only Orange and Durham counties offer this service at the county level; while Chatham, Johnston, Lee and Wake offer curbside waste pick up at the municipal level. Seven municipalities throughout the Triangle contract private disposal services and twelve municipalities offer public curbside recycling. Interestingly enough though, every municipality that has contracted waste disposal services has curbside recycling as well. Private curbside recycling programs are voluntary and higher costs are incurred by the individual than if the program was public. This could potentially create a disincentive to recycling in these municipalities. Evaluating if a county has public recycling centers or curbside pick up, and subsequently an evaluation at the municipal level, is interesting because it demonstrates the allocation of priorities and resources for recycling programs in each county Triangle wide.
Economic Benefits from Recycling. It is commonly stated that recycling costs more than disposal, but this is a myth. After full cost analysis of recycling versus disposal is completed, it is apparent that operating a recycling program can cost less than a solid waste collection and disposal program. Additionally, the higher the recycling rate, the more likely that recycling program operations will be less expensive than solid waste collection and disposal.
Waste Disposal Legislation. Effective October 1, 2009 the state of North Carolina has banned all rigid plastic containers from landfills. This legislation developed in 2005, with its main focus on the recovery of plastic bottles identified as number “1”. On top of implementing this ban, the state will be inspecting landfills for these plastic bottles. In addition, there are several items that have been banned from disposal at landfills via legislation: used oil, yard trash, white goods, antifreeze, aluminum cans, tires, lead-acid batteries, beverage containers, motor vehicle oil filters, wooden pallets and oyster shells. Legislation banning these items is accompanied by the implementation of county facilities for environmentally safe disposal of these items. Statewide legislation such as this positively affects the capabilities of the Triangle to promote environmentally friendly waste disposal practices.
**
Limitations and Future Research
Throughout the Triangle, waste disposal practices by county and municipal governments demonstrate the extent of the Triangle’s commitment to environmentally friendly behavior in waste disposal. National MSW trends show that environmentally friendly behavior is being promoted nationwide as tonnage of trash is decreasing while tonnage of recycling is increasing. Further research is required to collect local data by contacting the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and waste disposal firms throughout the Triangle to see if any information on MSW trends, broken down by trash and recycling generation, is documented. These data are needed for a complete assessment on the full extent of the Triangle’s capabilities to promote and create environmentally friendly behavior in waste disposal.
Author: Leah McManus, NC State University :: 2010.05.01
Updated: George Hess :: 2010.06.08
Reviewers: Wally Thurman, NC State University :: Emily Ander, City of Raleigh
Technical Notes
To obtain national data on MSW generation, information was sought from the US EPA ( EPA Solid Waste Report.pdf). To obtain Triangle wide information on waste disposal practices of counties and municipalities, county and municipal in public works/utilities departments and solid waste disposal websites were searched for data on recycling centers, recycling methods, conveniece centers, landfills and other waste disposal practices (See Resources for Household Waste for more details). Information on the amount of each and who (county/municipality) handles the operation of each were noted. For information on the economic benefits for recycling the North Carolina full cost analysis of waste management report was looked to (See Reference List for details). And finally, for information regarding legislation on waste disposal, a recent article was utilized which discusses recent legislation changes in North Carolina (http://earth911.com/news/2009/06/03/nc-law-to-ban-plastic-bottles-from-landfills/).
Here is the spreadsheet containing the data: MSW Generation.xlsx
Reference List:
Resources for Household Waste.docx
Resources for Household Waste.pdf
Connecting People with Nature Indicators
Parks & Nature Recreation :: Natural Area Recreation :: Proximity to Parks
Environmental Education :: Environmental Education Centers :: Community Colleges :: State Curriculum
Environmental Choices** :: Green Buildings :: Transportation Choices :: Waste and Recycling Practices