Every year hundreds of millions of tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) is landfilled in the U.S., making it the most common waste disposal method in the country. In 2018, approximately *** million metric tons of MSW materials were landfilled, accounting for a ** percent share of total waste disposal that year. Meanwhile, the volume of recycled materials has increased massively since 1960, from **** million metric tons to ** million metric tons in 2018.
* The source adds that MSW generation rose considerably from 2017 to 2018 mainly because EPA enhanced its food measurement methodology to more fully account for all the ways wasted food is managed throughout the food system.
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Environmental Protection Agency. (November 22, 2023). Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by disposal method (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 05, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by disposal method (in million metric tons)." Chart. November 22, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by disposal method (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Municipal Solid Waste Generation in The United States from 1960 to 2018, by Disposal Method (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Nov 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency, Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by disposal method (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/ (last visited July 05, 2025)
Municipal solid waste generation in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by disposal method (in million metric tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, November 22, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220865/municipal-solid-waste-disposal-methods-united-states/
