Home > Renewables and Alternate Fuels > Trends in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Composition

Trends in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Composition

Figure 1. Trends in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Composition
This bar graph shows the change in shares of MSW heat content over time.  The share of heat contributed by biogenic decreases from 67% in 1989 to just 56% in 2005.   The non-Biogenic share increases from 33% to 44% over the same time period.
  Source: Table 1 and Environmental Protection Agency, Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2005 Facts and Figures. http://www.epa.gov/msw/msw99.htm