Urban Farm DB
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Database research record2025·United States

National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling

US Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Urban Farm DB summary

U.S. municipal solid waste (MSW) generation reached 292.4 million tons in 2018. The landfilling rate fell from 94 percent in 1960 to 50 percent in 2018, while the combined recycling and composting rate rose from just over 6 percent in 1960 to 32.1 percent in 2018, including 25 million tons composted and 69 million tons recycled.

Extracted facts

6 facts

Only numbers and their conditions are stored, as structured data — never the source's own sentences. Metric and condition names stay in English, as coded.

  • 292.4 Mt

    total generation(municipal solid waste)

    Policy
    region
    United States
    year
    2018
  • 50–94 %↓ Decrease

    landfill rate(municipal solid waste)

    PolicyControl: 1960 level (94%)
    region
    United States
    year
    1960-2018
  • 6–32.1 %↑ Increase

    recycling composting rate(municipal solid waste)

    CompostControl: 1960 level (just over 6%)
    region
    United States
    year
    1960-2018
  • 25 Mt

    composting tonnage(municipal solid waste)

    Compost
    region
    United States
    year
    2018
  • 69 Mt

    recycling tonnage(municipal solid waste)

    Policy
    region
    United States
    year
    2018
  • 146 Mt

    landfilled tonnage(municipal solid waste)

    Policy
    region
    United States
    year
    2018

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