The United States generates 292 million tons of municipal solid waste each year. That volume equals 4.9 pounds per person per day. Disposal and recycling rates differ sharply across countries, with some nations sending less than 1 percent to landfills while others exceed 50 percent.
Key Takeaways
- US landfills received 146 million tons of MSW in 2022, 50% of generation
- In 2022, US MSW recycling rate was 32.1%, composting 17%, total recovery 69 million tons
- Globally, 32.5% of solid waste collected is curbside in urban areas
- Food waste accounts for 57% of total organic waste generated in US households in 2022
- In 2022, the United States generated approximately 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), equivalent to 4.9 pounds per person per day
Stricter recycling and waste reduction efforts are helping divert more materials from landfills.
Related reading
01 · Category
Landfills and Disposal23 stats
01
US landfills received 146 million tons of MSW in 2022, 50% of generation
02
There are 2,598 active MSW landfills in the US as of 2023
03
Global landfill disposal accounts for 37% of MSW, incineration 11%, recycling 13.5% in 2020
04
EU landfilled only 22% of municipal waste in 2022, down from 66% in 1995
05
China landfilled 52% of MSW in 2022, incinerated 47%
06
India landfilled or dumped openly 70% of MSW in 2023
07
Brazil landfilled 40% of MSW in 2022
08
Japan landfilled only 1% of MSW in 2022, incinerated 79%
09
Canada landfilled 52% of MSW in 2021
10
Australia landfilled 20.6 million tonnes in 2020-21, 27% of total waste
11
South Korea landfilled 2% of MSW in 2022
12
Germany landfilled less than 1% of MSW in 2021, incinerated 34%
13
Mexico landfilled 80% of urban waste in 2022
14
UK landfilled 11.8 million tonnes of household waste in 2022/23, 40%
15
Saudi Arabia landfilled 55% of MSW in 2022
16
US landfills capture 75% of landfill gas for energy in monitored sites
17
Global open dumping affects 93% of waste in low-income countries
18
California has 132 active landfills, receiving 18.5 million tons annually in 2022
19
NYC sends 6,000 tons daily to landfills/incinerators
20
US incineration with energy recovery processes 34 million tons MSW yearly
21
World has over 40,000 large dumpsites
22
Landfill methane emissions are 15% of US anthropogenic methane in 2022
23
EU incineration rate for MSW is 25% in 2022
Interpretation
Landfills and Disposal Interpretation
While the world buries its trash in a chaotic patchwork of good, bad, and ugly habits—from Germany's near-zero landfill rate to the 93% of waste openly dumped in low-income nations—the only universal truth is that humanity's most reliable export remains its own garbage.
02 · Category
Recycling and Recovery21 stats
01
In 2022, US MSW recycling rate was 32.1%, composting 17%, total recovery 69 million tons
02
EU recycling rate for municipal waste hit 48.7% in 2022, up from 18% in 1995
03
Global recycling rate for plastics is only 9% as of 2023
04
US recycled 67 million tons of paper in 2022, 69% recovery rate
05
China's recycling rate for MSW was 37% in 2022
06
India recycled 20% of MSW in 2023, mainly metals and plastics
07
Brazil MSW recycling rate is 4% officially, but informal sector recovers 30% in 2022
08
Japan recycles 84% of plastics, 20% of total MSW in 2022
09
Canada recycled 23% of MSW in 2021, composted 6%
10
Australia recycled 59 million tonnes of waste in 2020-21, 77% of total managed
11
South Korea MSW recycling rate 59.3% in 2022
12
Germany recycled 68% of MSW in 2021, landfilled 1%
13
Mexico recycled 12% of urban waste in 2022
14
UK recycled or composted 45% of household waste in 2022/23
15
Saudi Arabia recycled 25% of MSW in 2022
16
Global e-waste recycling rate is 22.3% in 2022, 82 million tons generated
17
US aluminum cans recycled at 52% rate in 2022, saving 14 million tons CO2
18
EU glass recycling rate 74.6% in 2022
19
India composts 5% of organic waste formally in 2023
20
NYC recycling rate 17.2% in FY2022
21
California recycled 66% of disposed waste in 2022
Interpretation
Recycling and Recovery Interpretation
America seems to think 32% is a good grade, but Germany's 68% shows it's actually possible to major in trash.
03 · Category
Waste Collection and Management20 stats
01
Globally, 32.5% of solid waste collected is curbside in urban areas
02
US waste collection services market size was $25.3 billion in 2023
03
75% of US MSW is collected curbside, 25% drop-off in 2022
04
EU municipal waste collection rate reached 72% in 2020
05
China's urban waste collection coverage is 99% in cities over 1 million population in 2022
06
India collects only 70% of generated MSW, with 31% uncollected in 2023
07
Brazil's waste collection coverage is 90.4% nationwide in 2022
08
Japan has 99.9% municipal waste collection rate in 2022
09
Canada collects 82% of residential waste through municipal services in 2021
10
Australia's kerbside collection handles 60% of household waste in 2020-21
11
South Korea's separate collection for recyclables covers 95% of population in 2022
12
Germany collects 80% of MSW via public systems, private 20% in 2021
13
Mexico urban collection rate is 85% in 2022
14
UK household waste collected by local authorities: 26.6 million tonnes in 2022/23
15
Saudi Arabia collects 85% of MSW, with private sector handling 60% in 2022
16
Nigeria's Lagos collects 70% of 10,000 tons daily waste in 2023
17
Waste collection trucks in US number over 140,000 in 2023
18
NYC collects 12,000 tons of residential waste daily via 2,000 trucks in 2022
19
Global waste collection labor force is 18 million people in 2020
20
US waste transfer stations process 40% of collected MSW in 2021
Interpretation
Waste Collection and Management Interpretation
Globally, our success at hiding the trash is impressively uneven, as some nations treat curbside collection like a civic religion while others are still searching for enough trucks and bins to join the congregation.
More related reading
04 · Category
Waste Composition29 stats
01
Food waste accounts for 57% of total organic waste generated in US households in 2022
02
Paper and paperboard comprised 23% of US MSW generation in 2018, totaling 67.4 million tons
03
Plastics made up 18.5% of US MSW generated in 2022, about 54 million tons
04
Metals represented 9.1% of US MSW in 2018, 26.2 million tons
05
Glass was 4.9% of US MSW generation in 2022, 14.3 million tons
06
Rubber and leather accounted for 7.8% of EU municipal waste in 2020
07
Organic waste constitutes 52% of waste in developing countries, per World Bank 2018 data
08
In India, organic waste is 51% of MSW composition in 2023
09
Plastics comprise 12% of landfill waste in the US in 2021
10
Textiles made up 5.8% of US MSW generated in 2018, 16.9 million tons
11
Yard trimmings were 12.3% of US MSW in 2022, 36 million tons
12
Wood contributed 6.2% to US MSW in 2018, 18 million tons
13
Other wastes (inert, electronics) were 11.5% of global MSW composition in 2020
14
Hazardous waste in EU MSW was 1.2% in 2020
15
In Brazil, organic matter is 38% of MSW, plastics 15% in 2022
16
Japan's food waste composition in MSW is 36% in 2022
17
Canada's residential waste has 30% organics in 2021
18
Australia's construction waste is 28% of total waste composition in 2020-21
19
South Korea's plastic waste is 20% of MSW in 2022
20
Germany's paper waste is 32% of MSW in 2021
21
Mexico's organic waste is 47% of urban MSW in 2022
22
UK's plastic packaging waste is 2.3 million tonnes annually, 64% of total plastic
23
In California, food waste is 18% of disposed waste in 2022
24
NYC residential waste paper is 15%, plastics 10% in FY2022
25
US landfills receive 50% paper, plastics, metals by weight in 2021
26
In 2022, 69 million tons of paper and paperboard were generated in the US
27
Electronic waste globally contains 62 different metals including gold and silver
28
Construction and demolition debris is 92% of total industrial waste in US
29
Batteries contribute 0.5% to household hazardous waste in EU
Interpretation
Waste Composition Interpretation
We are literally drowning in our own excess, where half of what we discard is organic matter and a third is paper, yet our relentless plastic and packaging consumption clogs the planet’s arteries.
05 · Category
Waste Generation20 stats
01
In 2022, the United States generated approximately 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), equivalent to 4.9 pounds per person per day
02
Globally, municipal solid waste generation is expected to increase to 3.88 billion tons by 2050 from 2.3 billion tons in 2020
03
In the European Union, total municipal waste generated in 2020 was 211 million tonnes, with an average of 472 kg per inhabitant
04
China's urban solid waste generation reached 253 million tons in 2022, growing at 5% annually
05
India produced over 62 million tonnes of solid waste in 2023, with metropolitan cities contributing 62%
06
Brazil generated 80 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2022, averaging 1.04 kg per capita daily
07
Japan produced 41.5 million tons of municipal solid waste in FY2022, down 1.2% from previous year
08
In 2021, Canada generated 25.8 million tonnes of non-hazardous solid waste, with residential sources at 31%
09
Australia's total waste generation in 2020-21 was 76.1 million tonnes, up 13% from 2018-19
10
South Korea generated 20.8 million tons of municipal waste in 2022, with food waste at 25.7%
11
Germany's municipal solid waste generation was 49.5 million tons in 2021, 624 kg per capita
12
Mexico produced 46.3 million tons of urban solid waste in 2022, averaging 1.1 kg per person daily
13
In 2023, the UK generated 27.2 million tonnes of household waste, 383 kg per person
14
Saudi Arabia's solid waste generation reached 16.5 million tons in 2022, projected to 20 million by 2030
15
Nigeria urban areas generate 32 million tons of solid waste annually as of 2023
16
In 2022, California alone generated 38.7 million tons of disposed waste
17
New York City produced 3.8 million tons of residential waste in FY2022
18
Texas MSW generation was 35 million tons in 2020, 2.8 tons per capita annually
19
Florida generated 44.3 million tons of solid waste in 2022
20
In 2021, the global plastic waste generation was 353 million tonnes
Interpretation
Waste Generation Interpretation
While humanity’s global output of waste is rocketing toward a staggering 4 billion tons annually, each of us is still just an individual casually contributing our own nearly five-pound daily offering to the pile.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Solid Waste Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/solid-waste-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Solid Waste Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/solid-waste-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Solid Waste Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/solid-waste-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level