All About Solid (nonhazardous) Waste Landfills

All About Solid (nonhazardous) Waste Landfills

Nonhazardous waste
( also known as "Solid Waste", nontoxic waste, industrial waste
and municipal waste")

Landfilling

Federal Landfill Standards Location restrictions ensure that landfills are built in suitable geological areas away from faults, wetlands, flood plains, or other restricted areas. Liners are geomembrane or plastic sheets reinforced with two feet of clay on the bottom and sides of landfills. Operating practices such as compacting and covering waste frequently with several inches of soil help reduce odor; control litter, insects, and rodents; and protect public health. Groundwater monitoring requires testing groundwater wells to determine whether waste materials have escaped from the landfill. Closure and postclosure care include covering landfills and providing long-term care of closed landfills. Corrective action controls and cleans up landfill releases and achieves groundwater protection standards. Financial assurance provides funding for environmental protection during and after landfill closure (i.e., closure and postclosure care).

Although source reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting can divert large portions of municipal solid waste (MSW) from disposal, some waste still must be placed in landfills. Modern landfills are well-engineered facilities that are located, designed, operated, monitored, closed, cared for after closure, cleaned up when necessary, and financed to insure compliance with federal regulations. The federal regulations were established to protect human health and the environment. In addition, these new landfills can collect potentially harmful landfill gas emissions and convert the gas into energy.

• More About Landfills
  
  
• Landfill Publications
  
  
• Landfill Methane Outreach Program
  
  
• Landfill Regulations
  
  
• Landfill Air Emission Regulations and Air Models
  
  

Combustion and Incineration

To reduce waste volume, local governments or private operators can implement a controlled burning process called combustion or incineration. In addition to minimizing volume, combustors, when properly equipped, can convert water into steam to fuel heating systems or generate electricity.

Benefits of Combustion Burning MSW can generate energy while reducing the amount of waste by up to 90 percent in volume and 75 percent in weight.

A variety of pollution control technologies reduce the toxic materials emitted in combustion smoke. Among these are scrubbers-a device that uses a liquid spray to neutralize acid gases in smoke-and filters, which remove tiny ash particles from the smoke. Burning waste at extremely high temperatures also destroys harmful chemical compounds and disease-causing bacteria. Regular testing ensures that residual ash is nonhazardous before being landfilled.

• More About Combustion and Incineration
  
  
• Combustion and Incineration Regulations:
  
  
  • Facility construction commenced before September 20, 1994 (PDF file)
    
    
  • Facility construction commenced after September 20, 1994 (PDF file)

EPA's Office of Air and Radiation is primarily responsible for regulating combustors and incinerators because air emissions from combustion pose the greatest environmental concern.

Household Hazardous Waste

Common household items such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides contain hazardous components. Leftover portions of these products are called household hazardous waste. These products, if mishandled, can be dangerous to your health and the environment.

• More About Household Hazardous Waste

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MSW Facts and Figures

These tables, charts, and maps include facts and figures about source reduction, recycling, and disposal. They also include MSW generation and composition data.

Note: Each chart/graph is available in PDF format for users to print out and use in presentations. PDF files must be downloaded and viewed with the Adobe Acrobat Reader. For more information about the Acrobat Reader, click here .

State MSW Data

	States with Bottle Deposit Rules
	States with Yard Waste Bans
	Number of Yard Waste Composting Programs
	State Recycling Rates
	Number of Curbside Recycling Programs
	State Combustion Rates
	State Land Disposal Rates
	Number of Landfills
	Years of Remaining Landfill Capacity

Recycling Data

	Total Materials Recycled, 1997
	Product-Specific Recycling Rates, 1997
	Recycling Rates of Key Household Items
	Recycling Rates of Soft Drink Containers
	Actual and Projected Recycling Rates by Material
	National Recycling Rates, 1960 to 2005
	State Data

MSW Disposal Data

	Management of MSW in the U.S., 1997
	Trends in Waste Generation, Recovery, & Disposal
	Waste Management Practices, 1960-2005 (pounds per person per day)
	Waste Management Practices, 1960-2005 (in millions of tons per year)
	Waste Management Practices, 1960-2005 (as a percent of generation)
	National Average Tipping Fees in the U.S.
	Number of Landfills in the U.S.
	State Data

Waste Generation

• Waste Generation Rates, 1960 to 2005
• Total Waste Generation, 1997
• Net Waste Disposal, 1997
• Products Discarded in MSW, 1997
• Net Discards of Materials in MSW
• Net Waste Discards in MSW, 1997

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