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U.S. RECYCLING RATE REACHES 27 PERCENT
Release Date: 06/12/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1998
U.S. RECYCLING RATE REACHES 27 PERCENT
The United States recycling rate reached 27 percent in 1996. A total of 209.7 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) was generated in 1996, a decrease of nearly 2 million tons from 1995. The per capita generation rate was 4.3 pounds per person per day. There were nearly 9,000 curbside recycling programs in the United States in 1996 as well as more than 10,000 drop-off centers for recyclables. Recovery of paper and paperboard reached 41 percent (33 million tons), accounting for more than half of the total MSW recovered. In addition, nearly 11 million tons of yard trimmings were recovered for composting, accounting for the second largest fraction of total recovery. The percentage of yard trimmings composted, 38 percent, has more than doubled since 1992. The report, “Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 1997 Update,” (document number: EPA530-S-98-007) is currently available on the Internet at: https://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/msw97.htm. Hard copies of the report will be available in a few weeks through the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810.
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