An additional 17.7 million tons of food were managed by other methods. Together, almost 94 million tons of MSW were recycled and composted, equivalent to a 32.1 percent recycling and composting rate.
Of the MSW generated, approximately 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million tons were composted. short tons, unless specified) or 4.9 pounds per person per day. The total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2018 was 292.4 million tons (U.S. These Facts and Figures are current through calendar year 2018.
The Agency uses this information to measure the success of materials management programs across the country and to characterize the national waste stream.
