2014 ENERGY AND ECONOMIC VALUE OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW), INCLUDING NON-RECYCLED PLASTICS (NRP), CURRENTLY LANDFILLED IN THE FIFTY

quantified the energy and economic value of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and non-recycled plastics (NRP). The study presented in this Report is based on 2011 data, compiled in the EEC 2013 Survey of Waste Management in the U.S. and on MSW characterization studies conducted by several states. The 2013 EEC Survey reported that in 2011 the U.S. generated 389 million tons of MSW, of which 87.8 million tons were recycled, 24.6 million tons were composted, 29.5 million tons were used as fuel in WTE plants, and 247 million tons were landfilled. Between 2008 and 2011, the recycling rate of plastics increased by 21 % to 2.66 million tons, due to higher recovery of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles, other HDPE and polypropylene (PP) rigid plastics, and HDPE and low density polyethylene (LDPE) films, bags, and wraps. However, despite the growth in both access to and types of plastics collected for recycling, some plastics cannot be economically recycled. For these non-recycled plastics (NRP), conversion to energy is preferred over landfilling, in accord with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) waste management hierarchy. The main objective of this study was to determine the quantities of non-recycled MSW and plastics that are available for converting to energy or fuel, nationally and state-by-state. In addition to MSW, the 2014 update study also included NRP contained in other waste streams that are disposed in MSW landfills. Key findings