| Q: |
How much trash do we create? |
| A: |
It’s estimated that each of us generates about 4.4 pounds of trash per day, up from 2.7 pounds per day in 1960. Nationwide, that equates to 230 million tons per year. Americans generate about twice as much trash per person as those in other countries. |
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| Q: |
What do we throw away? |
| A: |
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), our trash is 36 percent paper; 12 percent yard waste; 11 percent food waste; 11 percent plastics; 8 percent metals; 7 percent rubber, leather, and textiles; 6 percent glass; 6 percent wood; and 3 percent miscellaneous other materials. |
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| Q: |
Where does it all go? |
| A: |
Based on 2002 disposal totals calculated by the Northeast Recycling Council, 27.4 percent of Pennsylvania’s trash is recycled, 19.5 percent is incinerated, and 53 percent is disposed of in landfills. |
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| Q: |
What is a landfill? |
| A: |
A landfill is a scientifically engineered containment structure built into the ground. It’s designed to isolate solid waste from the surrounding environment, including groundwater, by means of a liner underneath, a covering of soil on top, and other protective systems. Modern landfills have nothing in common with the dumps of bygone days where people just heaped their trash into open holes. Read more at Landfill Design and Industry History. |
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| Q: |
How safe are landfills? |
| A: |
Pennsylvania’s regulations for the location and design of landfills are the most stringent in the nation. Today’s disposal facilities employ the best available technology, are designed with redundant systems to prevent pollution, and are operated in a manner that minimizes litter, noise, and odors. Landfills employ rigorous quality-control and quality-assurance procedures and are scrutinized by perimeter groundwater monitoring wells and gas probes. |
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| Q: |
Is hazardous waste buried in our landfills? |
| A: |
No. Pennsylvania annually generates approximately half a million tons of hazadous waste, most from industrial processes, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Hazardous waste includes manufacturing wastewater, solvents, sludge, acid, furnace dust, and other materials of a similar nature. This material does not go to solid waste landfills. It must go to specially permitted hazardous waste transfer, storage, and disposal facilities. |
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| Q: |
Are waste-hauling trucks a safety problem? |
| A: |
It’s a matter of perception. Waste-hauling trucks have often been singled out for special inspections, but the results of these inspections show that waste trucks have no more violations, on average, than all other trucks on Pennsylvania’s roads. Of course, even one unsafe truck is one too many. PWIA joined with representatives of state government, local government, and waste haulers to support a law that helps improve the safe transport of waste and compliance with environmental regulations. Read more at Industry Issues – Transportation. |
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| Q: |
Why is the proposed increase in the trash tax a bad idea? |
| A: |
The proposed $2.75 per ton increase in Pennsylvania trash taxes would cost Pennsylvania municipalities, businesses, and consumers nearly $41 million a year in higher costs for collection and disposal of trash. Just five years ago state taxes on trash totaled $2.25 per ton. The proposed hike would push trash taxes to $9 per ton. That would be a 400 percent increase in trash taxes in just a five-year period! |
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