Where does my garbage go?

In 2018, the United States produced 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), amounting to 4.9 pounds of waste per person daily. MSW comprises typical household and commercial trash such as food waste, paper, yard debris, appliances, and furniture.

The waste is collected from its initial site and then taken to either a transfer station or a material recovery facility.

Transfer Stations

Garbage is dropped off and compressed at transfer stations before being transferred to a larger truck. The new truck is loaded with the equivalent of several garbage trucks of waste before proceeding to a waste disposal facility.

Material Recovery Facilities

Material recovery facilities (MRFs) are places where waste is sorted to extract valuable materials before it is taken to its final destination. MRFs can be categorized into two types: clean and dirty.

By a significant margin, the landfill is the primary choice for solid waste disposal. While certain cities, such as San Francisco, excel in recycling and send less waste to landfills, the majority of the United States still resorts to landfills for waste disposal. Apart from landfills, waste is also directed to recycling facilities, composting sites, and waste-to-energy plants.

Landfills

By 2024, the U.S. has a total of 2,635 landfills. Approximately half of the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in the U.S. is disposed of in these facilities. Landfills serve as storage sites for waste rather than sites for decomposition. They consist of layers of garbage, thin plastic, and soil, with drainage systems and pipes running through each layer to collect the leachate produced by the waste. The waste is compacted and placed on top of a clay and plastic liner, then covered with soil. This layering process continues until the landfill reaches capacity. Finally, a final layer of clay and plastic is added, followed by several feet of soil and vegetation. While some waste may decompose over time, the primary function of landfills is containment rather than decomposition.

Recycling Facilities

Recycling facilities typically specialize in handling aluminum, plastics, paper, and glass. Once these recyclable materials are processed at a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), they are transformed into new products for future use. Approximately 23% of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is directed to recycling facilities. In 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced the U.S. National Recycling Goal, aiming to boost the recycling rate to 50% by 2030.

Composters

Organic materials such as food waste and yard debris can be taken to a composting facility. Composting involves the breakdown of organic materials with the help of oxygen and microorganisms. The resulting compost, which is the soil produced from decomposed food and yard waste, is subsequently utilized by individuals and businesses to improve their soil quality.

Waste-to-Energy Plants or Trash Incinerators

A waste-to-energy facility burns MSW to generate steam, which is subsequently utilized to operate an electric generator turbine. This method decreases the initial waste volume by 87%, leading to a substantial reduction in the required landfill capacity.

Anaerobic Digesters

An alternative method for converting waste into energy is via anaerobic digestion, which is a biological process that employs microorganisms to transform organic materials into energy and fertilizer. Unlike composting, anaerobic digestion does not rely on oxygen during the processing of organic materials. The process occurs in spacious tanks known as anaerobic digesters. These are primarily located on farms, where organic waste is abundant, but some also receive food waste from restaurants, supermarkets, and even entire communities. Wastewater treatment plants also utilize digesters to generate energy for the local power grid. Unlike using food or agricultural waste as a source, wastewater facilities employ organics-rich sewage.