Americans Twice as Wasteful as Previously Imagined

New research has revealed that the US population is responsible for twice as much landfill refuse as previously thought. The study, which was published in the journal Nature, reached its conclusions by examining actual figures taken from onsite locations, as opposed to the looser estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which had placed refuse amounts at less than half.

The revelations do much to illustrate the extent of the US’ problem with waste and the absence of widespread recycling practices in the country. With each citizen discarding roughly 2.3kg of waste into a landfill every day, the 263 million actual tonnes of waste produced in 2012 is far in excess of the estimated figure of 123 million tonnes.

A Major Discrepancy

Previously, the EPA had extrapolated its landfill predictions based upon population sizes, consumer habits and projected waste figures. However, in 2010, it finally began to force municipal landfills to record exactly how much waste was tipped into their sites each year. Now, a team of scientists from Yale University in Connecticut has interpreted this previously unavailable data to find that American waste disposal habits are far worse than feared.

Rather than 35% of all waste being recycled (as was inferred by the EPA prior to the study), it now appears Americans recycle a mere 21% of their consumed goods. This is grave news for the future not only of the landfills, which are becoming increasingly full, but also the environment as a whole.

The Problem of Methane

Landfill sites are the third largest source of methane emissions in the United States. Methane is created when organic matter is subjected to anaerobic conditions (i.e. an absence of oxygen) and decomposes into a harmful gas which is 35 times more effective at storing heat than carbon dioxide. As such, it is one of the greatest threats and contributing factors to climate change – and landfills play a significant role in its creation.

Though many closed landfill sites are capable of sealing off the waste and harvesting the methane produced for energy use, most of them do not do so. President Obama has made it a key facet of his home policy to address methane emissions, so the news unearthed by the latest study will not be welcome.

Easy Solutions

Although the revelations are discomfiting, there are a number of solutions which can be employed to curb methane levels in the atmosphere. Firstly, the American populace can make a concerted effort to recycle everything they can. Even materials which are not commonly reused can perhaps be given a second purpose, as demonstrated in the article Determining the Value of Waste Materials as Fuel Feedstock Using CHN Microanalysis.

Furthermore, landfill sites can improve the efficiency of their methane harvesting, thus collecting potentially harmful gases and turning them into something useful. Similarly, home owners can ensure their organic matter goes to the compost heap and receives plenty of oxygen in order to avoid producing unnecessary methane. Indeed, this latter practice is more desirable, since it dispenses with the expense and effort involved in sophisticated methane capturing systems.