General Overview of What's In America's Trash
Note
For updated percentages and figures, please see Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: Facts and Figures
Trash Type | Percentage | Tonnage |
---|---|---|
paper | 40.4% | 71.6 million tons |
yard trimmings | 17.6% | 31.6 million tons |
metals | 8.5% | 15.3 million tons |
plastics | 8.0% | 14.4 million tons |
food scraps | 7.4% | 13.2 million tons |
glass | 7.0% | 12.5 million tons |
other | 11.6% | 20.8 million tons (e.g., rubber, leather, textiles, wood, miscellaneous inorganic wastes) |