Household Waste Disposal Practices
Municipal Solid Waste Generation
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), or trash, is made up of household items that we
commonly use and then throw away or recycle. MSW essentially includes all trash besides
industrial, hazardous or construction waste. MSW trends over the past fifty years nationwide
were used as a basis for measurement. MSW is important to an analysis of the state of the
triangles capabilities to connect people with nature because waste reduction and recycling trends
demonstrate the environmental progressiveness of a community.
Did You Know?
Quick Facts about MSW Generation:
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
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On average nationally, each person generates 4.50 pounds of solid waste a day.
Recycling rates have increased from 10 percent of MSW nationwide in 1980 to 33
percent of MSW nationwide in 2008.
Waste disposal to landfills has decreased from 89 percent of MSW generated in
1980 to 54 percent in 2008 of MSW generated.
When looking at MSW trends an assessment can be made on waste reduction rates and
recycling program development across the country. The graph below demonstrates that since
1960, total MSW generation has gone up nationwide. Though t his is not surprising, when
breaking down the disposal of MSW between trash and recycling, millions of tons of recycling
has increased: from 69.4 million tons in 2000 to 82.9 million tons in 2008 while millions of tons
of trash is decreasing slightly: from 169.7 million tons in 2000 to 166.7 million tons in 2008.
Millions of Tons
300
Nationwide Municipal Solid
Waste
Trash
250
200
Recycling
150
100
TTL MSW Generation
50
0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
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Triangle Waste Disposal Programs
An examination of trash disposal programs and recycling programs triangle wide
demonstrate the best practices, or lack thereof, of waste disposal throughout the triangle. A
survey of each county’s services was completed to understand the state of the triangle waste
collection, a key indicator of the triangles capabilities to connect people with nature through
environmentally friendly waste disposal practices.
Curbside Recycling?
County Number
of
Recycling
Centers
Chatham
County: 12
County: No
Number of
Number of
Convenience Landfills
Centers
Other Waste Disposal
Practices
County: 12
- Hotline for illegal waste disposal
County: 1
Municipal: 2 (Public: Haw
River, Siler City)
- Environmental Enforcement Program
- Recycling Fee to Collect: Yard Waste,
Inert Debris
- Recycling No Fee- Tires, Scrap Metal
and Appliances, Motor Oil and Filters,
Propane Tanks, Electronics, Car Batteries,
Pesticide Containers.
- Small Business Recycling Centers
- Swap Shop
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Center
- Solid Waste Advisory Committee
Durham
County: 4
County: Yes
County: 4
County: 1
- Household Hazardous Waste Center
- Roll Off Container Rental Services
- Swap Shop
- No stationary container services
Johnston
County: 12
County: No
Municipal: 2
(Benson,
Smithfield
Municipal: 4 (Public: Pine
Level, Princeton
County: 12
County: 1
- Disposal Services: Tire, Appliance,
Batteries, Waste Motor Oil
County: 6
County: 1
- House Hold Hazardous Waste Centers
Private: Clayton, Selma:)
Lee
County: 6
County: No
Municipal: 1 (Private:
- School Recycling Programs
2
Sanford)
- Stop Junk Mail Program
- Swat-A-Litterbug Program
Orange
County: 10
County: Yes
County: 5
County: 1
- Recycling Services: Tire, Electronics,
Scrap Metal, Appliance, Construction and
Demolition Waste
- Mulch and Compost Sales
- Hazardous Waste Collection
- Disposal for Household Garbage
Recycling
- Salvage Sheds
- 24 hour drop off sites
Wake
County: 15
County: No
County: 12
County: 1
Municipal: 12 (Public: Apex,
Cary, Garner, HS, Knighdale,
Raleigh, Wake Forest,
Zebulon
- School Recycling Programs
- Roadside Litter Clean Up Programs
- Household Hazardous Waste Centers
- Backyard Compositing Program
Private: FV, Morrisville,
Rolesville, Wendell)
- Electronics Recycling
Public versus Private MSW Disposal Services
There are several different combinations of public and private disposal services
throughout the triangle. All counties in the triangle offer multiple recycling centers, convenience
centers (otherwise known as dumps) and a landfill with public access for the disposal of specific
goods. When it comes to curbside waste pick up, only Orange and Durham counties offer this
service, while Chatham, Johnston, Lee and Wake offer private and public services. There are
seven municipalities throughout the triangle that contract private disposal services. Interestingly
enough though, every municipality that has contracted services has curbside recycling as well.
Evaluating if a county has public recycling centers or curbside pick up, and subsequently and
evaluation at the municipal level should recycling not be offered at the county level, is interesting
because it demonstrates the allocation of priorities and resources for recycling programs in each
county triangle wide.
Economic Benefits from Recycling
It is commonly stated that recycling costs more than disposal, but this has been proven to
be a myth. After full cost analysis of recycling versus disposal is completed, it is apparent that
operating a recycling program can cost less than a solid waste collection and disposal program.
Additionally, the higher the recycling rate, the more likely that recycling program operations will
be less expensive than solid waste collection and disposal.
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Waste Disposal Legislation
Effective October 1, 2009 the state of North Carolina has banned all rigid plastic
containers from landfills. This legislation developed in 2005, with its main focus on the recovery
of plastic bottles identified as number “1”. On top of implementing this ban, the state will be
inspecting landfills for these plastic bottles. In addition, there are several items that have been
banned from disposal at landfills via legislation: used oil, yard trash, white goods, antifreeze,
aluminum cans, tires, lead-acid batteries, beverage containers, motor vehicle oil filters, wooden
pallets and oyster shells. Legislation banning these items comes with the implementation of
county facilities for the environmentally safe disposal of these items. Statewide legislation such
as this positively affects the capabilities of the triangle to promote environmentally friendly waste
disposal practices.
North Carolina Solid Waste Management Plan
The Goals of the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Plan: 2003-2013
1. Ensure long-term environmental protection by improving future landfill technology and
addressing public health and environmental concerns associated with closed landfills.
2. Substantially increase the amount of waste recycled and composted.
3. Reduce litter and illegal disposal by 50 percent from 2003-2004 levels.
4. Implement policies and procedures to provide information to the public and ensure
public participation throughout the decision-making process regarding waste management
facilities.
5. Create and continually maintain 20 years of landfill capacity in the state.
How Waste Disposal Practices Connect People with Nature
Throughout the triangle, waste disposal practices by county and municipal governments
demonstrate the extent of the triangles capabilities to connect people with nature as such practices
demonstrate the intent and commitment to create progressive and environmentally friendly
behavior in waste disposal. It was been demonstrated that this behavior is being promoted nation
wide as tonnage of trash is going down while tonnage of recycling is going up. And though the
numbers are not available triangle wide, it is obvious that waste disposal practices in the triangle
could ultimately be more environmentally friendly as is demonstrated through recycling practices
triangle wide. Recycling practices are cited in this assessment because it is proven that when full
cost analysis occurs, recycling programs are in actuality cheaper than waste disposal programs,
concluding that there are environmental and economic benefits to recycling. Only two counties
offer curbside recycling triangle wide, with only 12 municipalities offering public curbside
recycling. Though there are private curbside recycling programs offered through seven
municipalities, not only are these programs voluntary but also higher costs are incurred on the
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side of the individual than if the program was public, thus there is a disincentive to recycling in
these municipalities. Triangle wide information on trash disposal versus recycling disposal rates,
broken down by county, is needed for a complete assessment on the full extent of the triangle’s
capabilities to promote and create progressive and environmentally friendly behavior in waste
disposal. As the information demonstrates currently, the triangle is on the right track offering a
variety of recycling services in each county, yet it has not reached the true extent of its
capabilities to connect people with nature by participation in environmentally friendly waste
disposal behavior.
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