A report published today by the Environmental Protection Agency shows that the amount of waste we produce increased by almost 40% between 1995 and 1998. It also shows that the amount of waste going to landfills is continuing to increase.
This major EPA study confirms that the amount of waste we produce is rising an alarming rate. In the three years between 1995 and 1998, our non-agricultural waste increased from 11.2 million tonnes a year to 15.4 million, a 37% increase. The biggest rises were in manufacturing, mining and construction demolition waste. However, the amount of household and commercial waste collected during the period has also increased significantly. Household waste is up 23%, while commercial or business waste is up 44%. Overall municipal waste rose 11%, nearly 4% a year.
While we are trying to move away from land-filling, the amount of waste that went to dumps over that period also rose almost 15%. In fact, 90% of waste is being landfilled. While the amounts being recovered are also on the increase, the vast majority of paper, plastic metals textiles and organic waste is still being sent to the dump.
