Waste Management In USA

Solid waste management issues and issues to consider when developing solid waste management policies include appropriate waste generation practices, separation, collection, transport and disposal, landfill management, management of hazardous and other toxic materials, treatment, incineration, recycling and other technical standards. , monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement methods. Proper and safe handling of hazardous waste is critical in the collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal steps that are largely driven by municipalities or local governments and are mandated by the EPA in the Household Hazardous Waste Regulations. Most municipal solid waste and hazardous waste are disposed of at waste disposal sites. Once generated, waste must be managed through reuse, recycling, storage, treatment and/or disposal.

US landfills have a problematic amount of recyclable and compostable waste such as paper and food [10]. Recent studies show that in 2013, about 40% of the 3.14 million tons of e-waste generated in the United States was collected for recycling, with the remainder disposed of in landfills and incinerators (US EPA, 2015). In the United States, according to a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report using a material flow methodology, plastic waste was recycled through landfill (75.4%), incineration (15.3%), and recycling (9.3%) (19 ). . Here, we estimate plastic waste production by the entire US population in 2016, as well as the amount of plastic waste dumped illegally domestically and the amount that may have been poorly managed in countries that imported the materials. recycling, both of which deliver plastic waste to land and the ocean.

Although there are many efforts to collect data on waste at the local, state and national levels (including a biennial report on hazardous waste that reports on the nature, quantity and disposal of hazardous waste), the availability of indicators of how it is generated is used and management is linked to existing data on non-hazardous waste management. About 1.5 pounds of it is composted or recycled, according to the EPA, meaning the US only avoids sending 34% of US waste to landfills. The United States generates more than 30 percent of the planet’s waste, even though it is home to only 4 percent of the world’s population. There are several direct incentives in the US system of consumption and waste management that encourage individuals and businesses to change their behaviour.

Since the consequences of wasting resources are not built into the price of producing, buying, or disposing of goods, there is no direct incentive for people and businesses to change. The impact of wasted resources, damage to public health and the environment, and danger to future generations due to global warming are paid for by society, not by the producers and consumers who run the system. While 25 US states currently have laws promoting sustainable end-of-life e-waste management, each is significantly different, resulting in a patchwork of disparate regulations that ultimately hinder efficient e-waste recycling.