STATE OF MATERIAL STREAM
In 2018, plastics generation was 35.7 million tons in the United States (12.2 percent of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation). The total amount of plastics combusted in 2018 was 5.6 million tons (16.3% of all MSW combusted for energy recover that year). In that same year, landfills received 27 million tons of plastic (18.5% of all MSW landfilled).
EPA
CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
- Clean the plastic material stream at collection.
- Establish new avenues for plastic films and foams.
- Develop a beneficial reuse of fiberglass wind turbines.