3 Shocking Statistics About Solid Waste Disposal in America


Garbage management

Solid waste disposal is a problem that plagues many countries around the world, but America’s continued disposition towards becoming eco-friendly is quite alarming. The environment is suffering because of our bad garbage management habits, but thankfully, there are waste management specialists who strive to make this problem a thing of the past.

Through providing eco-friendly services and encouraging recycling, these waste management services are enhancing solid waste disposal and helping Americans to undo years of negligence. The statistics surrounding these bad habits are well-documented, and would convince just about anybody to alter the way they look at solid waste disposal. Here are three examples of the dire state of waste disposal in America today, and how eco-friendly waste management services are working to change it:

  • We make enough garbage to fill a stadium. Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, which is enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day. It’s a truly exorbitant amount of trash that should make one reconsider the way they dispose of solid waste. Construction and demolition also produces a hefty amount of solid waste, and many landfill services specialize in making sure this debris ends up where it’s supposed to be.
  • We recycle a fraction of reusable waste. The EPA estimates that about 75% of American waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it. This percentage is truly shocking and would be even smaller if it weren’t for the concerted efforts of waste management services that offer recycling programs. Eventually, the entire country needs to focus more on recycling before our landfills become overrun with reusable goods.
  • Composting could save our environment. Americans generate an estimated 21.5 million tons of food waste each year. If we composted that food, it would reduce the same amount of greenhouse gas as taking 2 million cars off the road. Global warming has become a hot-button issue as of late, and improving our solid waste disposal will help to protect the atmosphere and restore what has already been damaged.

The statistics on improper solid waste disposal are endless, and these are just a few examples of how Americans have fallen behind in protecting the environment. Find a waste management service that prioritizes solutions to these problems and become part of a better tomorrow.


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