ABSTRACT
This chapter has been extracted from the most recent in a series of reports released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to characterize municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States. This report characterizes the national municipal waste stream based on data through 2011. As characterized in the EPA report, MSW includes wastes from residences and commercial establishments. No construction and demolition debris or industrial wastes are included. (Some wastes from industrial establishments, such as packaging and ofŽce wastes, are, however, included.)
Identifying the components of the MSW stream is an important step towardaddressing the issues associated with using it for energy generation. MSW characterizations, which analyze the quantity and composition of the waste stream, involve estimating how much MSW is generated, recycled, combusted, and disposed of in landŽlls. This chaptercharacterizes the MSW stream of the nation as a whole. Local and regional variations are not addressed.
