Solid Waste - An Introduction

Use the resources at the bottom of this page to answer the following questions.

  1. What types of waste are considered solid waste (give examples)?
  2. What types of waste would not be considered solid waste (give examples)?
  3. What are the most common types of solid waste?
  4. Where does most solid waste come from?
  5. How much solid waste do we produce (total in the US, per person)
  6. How does this compare to people in other coutntries?

Resources

Talkin' Trash
Information about what solid waste is and how it is disposed of.
1998 State of the Nation's Waste
How much waste we produce and links to waste data for all fifty states.
Municipal Solid Waste Characterization Report
Follow the link to data about types and amounts of waste generated in the US from 1960 - 1995.