This first post will be dedicated to describing the environmental issue of waste management in the United States. The United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the term, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to refer to ” trash or garbage—consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries”. Overall, the United States produces three times the global average of waste, this includes food waste as well as plastics. The amount of waste produced in the United States equates to 773kg per person. And the amount of waste that the United States is producing is growing exponentially. This graph shows that in 1960 the US produced 88.1 million tons of MSW and in 2018 they produced 292.4 million tons of MSW, which is 4.9 pounds per person per day.
The large amount of trash that is produced by the United States alone is not only a problem in and of itself but it also affects other issues, such as climate change, public health, and wildlife animals. The trash that makes up landfills produce methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas. The disposal of trash also produces carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas. When the trash is burned, it emits a dangerous level of carbon dioxide as well as horrid smells. About 40% of the world’s trash is disposed of in this fashion, which is why we must find a more sustainable way to dispose of MSW. And now that China is no longer accepting the United States’ trash, the United States has resulted to burning more of it. The emissions from landfill and the burning of trash creates air that has lead to people contracting diseases such as, asthma, cardiovascular disease, COPD, infectious diseases, and many more that can be found on EPA’s website. But our trash problem is not only affecting us, but it is also affecting marine life. In the past years many animals, including fish, turtles, whales, and other aquatic animals have been injured or died because of our waste. They have injected plastic or gotten stuck in plastic rings from soda cans.

As of 2018 plastics are the third leading source of MSW just after paper/paperboard and food. The main issue with plastic is that it takes about 450 years to fully decompose and so if it is not recycled it will just sit in a landfill. With plastic taking 450 years to decompose and Americans are producing 4.9 pounds of trash each day for each person, landfills are taking in more trash than is decomposing. This only leads to more and more plastic being found in the ocean. So, we must find a better way to dispose of not only plastic but all other forms of waste.